Renaissance
by Darkest Ember
Summary: Vampires have taken over and are showing no mercy. Damon and Klaus are two warring vampire lords, both fighting to become the ultimate ruler. But to do so, one of them must locate and sacrifice the Petrova doppelganger: Elena Gilbert. Eventual Delena
1. The New Dark Ages

**Renaissance**

By: Darkest Ember

_Chapter 1: The New Dark Ages_

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><p><em>Summary: <em>Vampires have taken over and are showing no mercy. Two warring vampire lords - Damon and Niklaus - are both racing to break a curse that would give one of them the ultimate title: ruler of the world. But to break this curse one of them needs to find the doppelganger, Elena Gilbert. And they won't stop until she's dead.

_Notice:_ This story is going to a bit different... It is set in modern times. Vampires are evil, with an occasional opportunity for redemption. It's going to work into a Delena story, but you just need to be patient ;) The focus will be more on passion rather than romance. We'll see how this goes. Expect dark themes, violence, language, and all that good stuff.

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><p>A dark, thick fog descended over the town of Mystic Falls. It crept along the ground like a snake, consuming everything in its path. The people of Mystic Falls were used to the shadowy nights, though. Some might even say they don't remember what the sun looked like. Things have been anything but bright since the vampires came into town.<p>

Humans who feared for their lives were forced to hide in the shadows, while the "creatures of the night" roamed the streets whenever they pleased. Bloodied bodies would be found piled up outside of the vampire lord's mansion in the morning – an eerie warning to those unfortunate enough to be left alive another day.

You see, vampires occupied almost every state in America. There were a couple of free states, which acted as a safe haven for humans. The vampires claimed that such free states were permitted solely to promote repopulation, but the humans believed that to be nothing more than a cowardice excuse. Those states were free because the best of the hunters have _protected_ them.

It was the same sad story on the opposite side of the globe. Each country had a designated vampire lord. Most of these lords were content with their title and kept to themselves. However, there were two who were not. Lord Damon, of America, and Lord Niklaus, of Europe, both desired total reign of the world. A silent war had been brewing between the two for years.

But neither one could claim to have much of an advantage just yet. Disturbed by the vampires' control over nature, a band of powerful witches designed a curse that prevented the two warring vampires from gaining total control. To break the curse, one needed to obtain a werewolf, a vampire, the ancient moonstone, and the Petrova doppelganger, the latter two of which seemed near impossible to locate.

Until today.

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><p>Elena Gilbert walked down the barren road with her eyes locked on the ground. This place used to be full of life and as much excitement as could be expected from a small town. Now it was desolate…just barely functional. Most people avoided being outside whenever possible, the exceptions being school and work. Elena had just finished a morning shift at the local coffee shop and was making her way back home.<p>

Most vampires weren't really out and about at this time. Though they could walk in the sunlight, many preferred to rest at the present hour, which allowed Elena to exhale a few stale breaths of relief.

She despised vampires more than the average person, and for very adequate reasons. The memory was still so fresh in her mind, though it had already been two years since its occurrence. It was when the vampires first came out of hiding. There were no rules or means to protect oneself, and these vampires were absolutely reckless.

A vampire had overheard Grayson, her father, talking to Miranda, her mother, about the family's dinner plans as he made his way out of the medical office. The thought of a whole family surely seemed more appetizing than just having the town's doctor, so the vampire followed him home. He waited in the shadows, watching through the window as the happy family of four sat down to eat.

He knocked on the door, pretending to be lost. Elena's father refused to let the stranger stand outside in the chilly air, so he invited him in, even offered him a meal. Of course, the vampire took the invitation in a different way and savagely bit into Grayson's neck, sending a splash of blood across the wall, covered in family photos. Miranda screamed at the sight, while blocking her children from seeing too much. The vampire turned around and commanded that Miranda come closer.

Elena was horrified, as she watched her mother inexplicably comply. The vampire didn't wait much longer before he bit into her throat. He let her body drop onto Grayson's as their bloody corpses created a combined pool of blood on the floor. Elena stepped in front of her younger brother, Jeremy, as the vampire took a step closer to them. She couldn't really see much of his face – just those animalistic fangs with her parents' blood smeared across his lips.

He cocked his head to the side with amusement. Without any explanation, he turned on his heel and walked out the front door, deciding to let them suffer.

Elena blinked the tears away as she stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the WALK sign to change. After that horrific night, Elena and Jeremy moved into their Aunt Jenna's home, where they met her boyfriend, Alaric Saltzman, a vampire hunter. He taught them how to protect themselves and hence was probably responsible for their survival thus far.

As she passed by an alley, she heard the faint sound of someone gasping for air, fighting for his last breath. She didn't need to look to know what was going on. Her stomach churned in anger as she passed by the murderous scene, now only a couple blocks from home.

She'd been so lost in contempt, thought, and memory that she hadn't felt the pair of eyes watching her, waiting for the perfect moment to attack.

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><p>Damon Salvatore sat in a reclined position on his throne as he listened to someone babbling about the number of dead bodies collected this week. His palm was barely supporting his heavy skull as he stared forward, wearing a bored expression.<p>

The sound of rattling chains and a grunt of disappointment caught his attention. He turned and faced the girl wrapped in chains at the base of his throne. He saw the muscles in her toned arms flex as she tugged at the constraints. She was probably upset that her added vampiric strength was doing her no good.

He reached over and touched her cheek, tracing a scabbing incision. Her healing process had dramatically slowed down due to the heavy doses of Vervain being blasted through her veins. To be fair, he had warned her. Katherine Pierce – the original Petrova doppelganger – and the seductive, selfish vampire that made Damon who he was today.

Damon couldn't help but smirk. This had been the girl that his rival Klaus had tried to capture 500 years ago, and had failed. This was the girl that destroyed the remains of Damon's humanity. And now look at where that got her.

"Get your hands off of me," she barked.

"Now why would I want to do that?" Damon retorted, running a jagged fingernail through the scabbed flesh, causing a thin streak of blood to resurface. "All of this could be over if you would just tell me who the doppelganger is."

"For the hundredth time, _I don't know_. Just because she's a cheap copy of me doesn't mean I know who she is."

The babbling statistician froze midsentence as the two large wooden doors burst open behind him. Damon's younger brother, Stefan, came inside.

Damon's eyes flickered away from Katherine and to Stefan. "Creating quite the entrance there, brother," Damon noted.

"I think it might be worth your time." Stefan stole a subtle glance at Katherine, his former love. It pained him to see her in such a circumstance, but he now knew that her torture would soon end. "Some sources claim that Klaus found the moonstone. If that's true that means he's one step closer–."

"I know what that means," Damon snarled. He took a moment to calm himself, as a disturbing smile lined his lips as he stood up. "Well, you know what they say. If you want something done right, you need to do it yourself."

He gracefully stepped down the stairs and approached his brother. "Let's go out for a little hunt, shall we?" When they reached the door, Damon paused and addressed the guard. "Make sure she gets locked up."

Katherine sat there helplessly, rolling her eyes as the guard sped over to her. As soon as she was free, she'd make sure all hell broke loose.

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><p>Stefan took a moment or two to sit down in his room and gather his thoughts. This confliction he felt was finally becoming overwhelming. He'd known for some time now exactly who the doppelganger was. Ever since he first found her, he followed her…studied her…protected her. Damon's troops had gotten <em>so<em> close to finding her, and each time Stefan would purposely interrupt their progress.

_Dear Diary, _

_ I'm not sure how to handle this situation anymore. If I handed Elena over to Damon, that would mean great things for us. He'd have an advantage over Klaus and Katherine would surely be released from Damon's prison. But as much as it pains me to see Katherine in such a position, something is holding me back from turning in Elena. She's already been through so much at such a young age. And I know that she has a hard time living in the world our kind has created. At the same time, Damon promised he'd make things right once he gained total control. _

_ If I turn Elena in, it would be much easier to keep an eye on her. Maybe I can even get to know her a little better. It would be naïve of me to expect her to enjoy my company, but one can only hope… I think tonight I will show her to Damon. _

_ I don't know what I'd do if Klaus were to get her first. _

Stefan bit into his lower lip as he tucked the heavy leather journal away on a shelf. With a sigh, he exited the room and met Damon downstairs, still trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing.

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><p>As Elena closed the front door behind her, she was met with a warm blast of air. The house that she now lived in was just as homey and welcoming as her family's house and she felt right at home.<p>

Alaric was sitting at the table admiring his work on a wooden stake, while Jenna was making sandwiches. Elena's felt her stomach grumble as she entered the kitchen.

"Turkey? My favorite," she grinned, grabbing one of the completed ones.

"I figured you'd be hungry by the time you got home," Jenna laughed. But then, she grew noticeably somber. "How were the streets today?"

Elena shrugged. "Mostly empty. Someone was being killed in an alley, though."

"Did you have your weapons on you?" Alaric asked.

"Of course I did." Elena unzipped her jacket and revealed two stakes and a Vervain grenade.

"And…?"

Elena scoffed and pulled her sleeve up to reveal the extra stake.

"Nice work."

Jeremy shuffled down the stairs shortly after the three sat down to eat. "Did you oversleep again?" Jenna asked.

"Guess so. School's overrated anyway," Jeremy sighed, grabbing some cookies from the pantry.

"Just because deranged monsters have taken over doesn't mean you can –," Elena began, but stopped once she saw something, or rather someone, just outside the kitchen window.

It was…it was Damon Salvatore. Everyone knew that he barely left the mansion. What could he possibly want here? The horrific possibilities caused Elena's heartbeat to triple.

Concerned, Alaric and Jenna followed her stare and reacted in a similar fashion. Alaric kept a stake hidden under the table. Without tearing his eyes away from the vampire, he whispered, "_Run_."

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><p>And so the chase begins! Will Damon get his hands on Elena...will Stefan let him?<p>

Comments are greatly appreciated and really help me! Just leave a thought or two on what you think so far. I'm in love with the ideas I have for this story and really hope you guys would like me to continue it


	2. Hunt and Gather

**Renaissance **

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 2: _Hunt and Gather_

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><p>Pure fear can be a powerful thing. It can lead people to do unspeakable things, have impossible capabilities. It pumped through Elena's veins as the image of Damon Salvatore, watching her, burned into the back of her eyes. She had every intention of heeding Alaric's advice to run, despite the guilt that she felt in leaving her family to face the monster.<p>

Fear can also overpower guilt, as Elena quickly found out.

She sprung to her feet, running directly for the front door, as the hallway blurred on each side of her vision. She ripped the door open, ready to run free, but ran into a man's chest instead. Slowly, she glanced up at her roadblock and screamed at the sight of Stefan Salvatore.

She had expected him to grab her and kill her right on the spot. But he didn't. He just looked at her, wearing a mixed expression of curiosity, pity, and discomfort. Jeremy stepped into the foyer, brandishing one of Alaric's hand-made inventions. "Let her go," he demanded.

Stefan gave him a blank, uninterested expression. It was as if the presence of a stake had no impact on him whatsoever. He ignored the boy and focused back on Elena, who was on the verge of tears. Against his better judgment, he stepped aside and gave her access to the porch.

"Go," he said hesitantly. "Leave now, before my brother can get you."

Elena was surprised by what she believed to be an act of betrayal, but didn't stick around to question it. Remembering why she had left the table in such a hurry, she resumed her task, sprinting down the street and heading for the woods.

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><p>The dungeons beneath the vampire lord's mansion were not a pleasant sight. Corroded stones lined the walls and floor. Stumpy candles were the only source of light. Rats scurried through the foundation, oftentimes mistaking the flesh of the dying prisoners as a meal. Instead of killing disobedient subjects outright, Damon often saw it fit to let them rot in this miserable cellar, a long, torturous death.<p>

Katherine despised the fact that Damon had locked her up here, with all the other lowly humans and sad excuses for a vampire. Unlike the dying around her, she was at least given a dosage of blood a day, which was just enough to maintain her determination.

When he first captured her, she felt as if she might have deserved some of the punishment for how she treated the Salvatore brothers during her stay at their estate. But those remorseful thoughts vanished as soon as they arrived. Now, all she could fathom was plotting her escape and, naturally, her revenge.

She couldn't help but laugh, despite herself. Damon had spent all this time torturing her, demanding to know who her doppelganger was. Yet, he didn't even consider the possibility that she would have any information on the whereabouts of the moonstone.

"Once again, I'm one step ahead of you, Damon," she snickered.

The truth was, she knew _exactly_ where the moonstone was and whom it was with.

Mason Lockwood.

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><p>Amidst her desperate dash to the woods, Elena found that she was still able to curse herself for not grabbing a jacket on her way out. What if she had to hide out there for the rest of the evening? Surely, she'd freeze. <em>Let's just hope it doesn't come to that<em>, she thought, ignoring the growing chill in the air.

Her feet pounded hard against the pavement, as abandoned-looking houses swirled past her. She knew that no one would risk their own life to take an interest in her problem, and she didn't blame them. This was just the world they were living in.

Once she reached the forest line, next to the last house on the street, she bent down and caught her breath. She glanced cautiously over her shoulder and was somewhat surprised to find that neither Salvatore brother was coming after her. Though a rather illogical notion, Elena entertained the possibility that Alaric might have killed them, or at the very least _injured _them.

Elena wasn't going to stand around and wait for something else to happen. She still needed to get further away. However, her break did extinguish the burning feeling in her lungs and the aching cramps in her sides. Without further ado, Elena focused back on the woods, but was instantly horrified when she found Damon standing directly in front of her, leaving hardly any space between the two of them.

Aside from the fear of being found, her mind was struggling to comprehend how he had gotten so close without her noticing. His icy blue eyes bore into her, making her crumble beneath his stare. She couldn't move or breathe – almost as if his presence was creating some kind of invisible force, locking her in place.

Much to her disappointment, Elena couldn't identify any signs of injuries on him, which only made her wonder even more so what happened to her family.

All of these thoughts, emotions, and lack of motor skills were becoming too much for Elena to bear. She screamed as loud as she could, feeling each of her discomforts contributing to its cringe-worthy sound.

But Damon didn't even flinch. Instead, he lunged forward and spun her around so that her back was up against his torso. He clamped a hand tightly over her mouth, his fingers digging into her cheekbones with crushing force.

"I think we both know that there's no point in screaming, _Elena_. No one's going to save you."

Hearing him say her name in that condescending, exaggerated manner made Elena's stomach churn in disgust. She wasn't sure what he wanted from her, but she'd be damned if she let him have it that easily.

With all of the strength and courage she could muster in such a situation, she sent her head flying backward, making direct contact with his nose. The sickening crack made her heart flutter as she felt his grip loosen just enough for her to break free. She pushed her body forward and continued on route to her original destination, praying that in his presumably angered state, Damon would not catch her again.

But little did she know, Damon was having somewhat of an opposite reaction. He was almost pleased to find that this human would give him a challenge…a thrill.

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><p>The Lockwood mansion, which used to be the largest estate in Mystic Falls, seemed humbled and lifeless these days. The former mayor – Richard Lockwood – had been one of the casualties during the transition of power from human to vampire. With just his wife, Carol, and son, Tyler, living in the house now, it seemed so much emptier.<p>

Until Tyler's uncle from Florida came to live with them. Mason had willingly left Florida, one of the "free" states to live with them in the capital of all this supernatural hell. But it turned out that he had good reason for doing so. Tyler had triggered the werewolf curse without even realizing so. Mason helped him through his first full moons, and now the two were a pair, helping restore the family's home to some of its former glory.

But even though Mason had bonded with his nephew, there were still a few things that he wasn't willing to tell him about just yet. Like how he was harboring the moonstone for his captured vampire lover, Katherine. Mason helped Tyler overcome his vampire prejudice and taught him which ones could be trusted and which ones couldn't. Mason wasn't quite sure on all the details, but he did know that the moonstone played an important role in the battle between Damon and Klaus.

As Katherine requested, he would protect that stone with his immortal life.

Tyler located Mason in one of the first floor studies, lounging on a leather couch with a glass in hand.

He stepped into the room and set the duffle bag at his feet, offering his uncle a confused look. "Dude, you know it's a full moon tonight. Shouldn't you be getting packed?"

Mason couldn't quite put what he was feeling into words. He _knew_ he needed to be leaving, but something was holding him back. "Yeah, I'm just going to…finish this drink and then I'll meet you there, okay?"

Tyler was skeptical. "You can finish it in a couple hours. Let's just get this over with." With a reluctant sigh, Mason down the remains of Scotch and stood up, pausing to stretch. Just as he was about to make his way out of the room, he froze at the sound of a wonderfully familiar, though faint voice. "_Mason_…"

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><p>Katherine had been trying and failing to send a mental message for what felt like an eternity in itself. She was too weak in this deprived state. She nearly leaped out of her cell when she heard the creaking door at the end of the hall opening, which meant the vampiric prisoners were going to be given their blood allowance for the day.<p>

_About damn time_, she thought bitterly.

A frown crossed her face once she saw the amount present in today's plastic cup. "There must be a mistake," she argued, tightly gripping the metal bars between her and the guard. "This is nearly a quarter of what I received yesterday!"

"Perhaps you should stop disobeying Lord Damon," the guard replied, shoving the cup into her hands.

She stared down at the minimal supply and realized that she'd have to choose between successfully contacting Mason and healing the rest of her wounds. Logically, the first choice would be the best pick, she figured, mostly because if Damon really went out on a hunt for the doppelganger, something told her he'd be gone for a while…perhaps long enough for her to heal properly.

So, she downed the small quantity of blood and focused her mind. "Mason…," she called. "It's almost time. Continue to protect the stone and proceed to stage 2 of the plan. Soon enough, we'll be reunited." She wouldn't ever truly know if the message would arrive in Mason's mind, but at this point she could only hope for the best.

Having nothing better to do in the dingy cell, she lay down on the cot and slowly drifted into sleep, her mind ever racing to calculate the next step in her grand master plan.

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><p>The sun had already started setting, much to Elena's discomfort. She'd made it into the thick of the woods, exhausted and terrified. There were times when she was so sure that Damon was directly behind her, practically breathing down her neck. But now, based on her hazy scan of the surrounding area, she felt alone.<p>

Her problem, however, was that she needed to decide if it was safe enough to tread back home, lest she spend the night lost in the woods. She raked a nervous hand through her hair, while occasionally gasping for breaths she would forget to take.

Of all the people left in Mystic Falls, why was he coming after her? The question alone was enough to slow her movements and cloud her thinking. Surely it wasn't for any sort of positive purpose. And how could it ever be? He was a _vampire_…the one who brought this darkness to Elena's home. Feeling slightly empowered by her pride, she decided to test the waters and take a step back toward her house.

Her pace was sluggish compared to her pounding, mad dash through the woods just minutes ago. Everything seemed so still. Elena preferred it that way. The silence made it easier to identify foreign sounds. Adrenaline was still pulsing beneath her flesh, just barely managing to keep her from freezing. And at the first sight of stars appearing in the sky, she bolted down the trail leading home.

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><p>Contrary to Elena's beliefs, Damon had been in the forest with her the entire time. If he had a beating heart, he was sure it'd be pumping just as fast as Elena's had been, from the pure excitement he was experiencing. But even Damon had to be reasonable and admit that this chase was taking too long.<p>

It would be a full moon tonight, and he didn't want to have to deal with rogue werewolves, should they get their hands on an unsuspecting Elena first. From his cozy spot high up in a branch, Damon noticed Elena pick up speed as she headed back toward the street.

Gracefully, he jumped down from the tall tree without breaking a sweat – or a bone, for that matter. Just before he took off after his prey, he heard leaves crunching a mile away. A smirk cracked across his lips as he spun around to face Stefan.

"Brother, it's getting late. You should head home," Damon said, placing a hand on Stefan's shoulder.

Stefan stared at him with a hard, unreadable expression. "You haven't found Elena yet?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "I'm just having a little fun with the girl before I drag her back as a prisoner."

"She's basically the key to ultimate power. Don't you think you should treat her a little better than that?"

He couldn't deny that Stefan had a decent point. "I suppose I could show a little southern hospitality."

"Good," he nodded, making a move to turn around, but stopped halfway. "The wolves are coming, brother. I suggest you advance your hunt."

Damon waited until Stefan was out of sight before speeding through the trees. Even with Elena just within reach, he decided that he wasn't done with his game just yet. The moon wasn't at its full apex yet. Which meant he still had some time to spare.

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><p>Elena felt her guard lowering and confidence rising with each step. She could barely feel the scrape of jagged branches across her flesh. She could barely hear her muscles' plea to take a rest. She was focused solely on what was in front of her. And it is perhaps because of this dedicated focus that made Damon's abrupt appearance in front of her that much more jarring.<p>

She screamed while attempting to come to a stop before crashing into him. But just because she knew he was so close to her didn't mean that she was going to concede, not yet. She fell to her knees after tripping. With her head hung low, she spread her fingers out across the soft dirt and collected a good portion.

"Guess you win," she muttered, rising to her feet slowly.

Obviously, Damon wouldn't suspect anything as he began to approach her. She waited until he was just close enough before throwing the dirt into his eyes. Though she would've _loved_ to stick around and listen to his grunts of pain, she knew she needed to take off running again.

The sun had completely disappeared by this point, making it much harder for Elena to find her way around. Not really having a goal in mind for her end destination, she followed the sound of running water, knowing that she'd end up at the Falls. Back when this was still a normal town, the Falls would be the hot spot for high school parties. Sadly, she knew not to expect to find a soul there now.

Once she reached the rocky edge above one of the waterfalls, she collapsed. For the millionth time that day, it hurt to breathe or move. Her body was rapidly reaching its limits, which started to make her nervous. What else could she possibly do if not run?

"I think we can both agree that this has gone too far," Damon spat, blurring out of nowhere.

Elena bit down into her lower lip, trying desperately to think of a new plan, all while holding back tears. All she could do was stare at the gushing waterfall, feeling somewhat dazed. _That's my last resort_, she realized.

She crawled closer to the edge, attempting to not notice the long distance down to the river. She glanced over her shoulder, mustering a taunting smirk toward Damon. It didn't take him long to realize what she was going to do. He didn't believe she would have the guts. So, he stood back, arms crossed over his chest, just watching her.

"I don't know what you want from me, but I refuse to let you have it," she said boldly, before crouching and leaping off the edge.

The cold air slashed at Elena's face as her body flew down. Her stomach felt like it was going to come out of her agape mouth at any second. As the water came into a closer proximity, Elena squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the inevitable crash.

But the anticipated feeling of pain and death never came. In just the nick of time, Damon had leaped off the rocky edge and caught her before she met the water. He held her in a close embrace as they both splashed into the water gently.

Anyone who didn't have the context of the situation would've passed by them believing them to be lovers. Elena stared up into Damon's eyes through strands of soaking wet hair. She couldn't be sure if it was the shock or the moonlight, but for some reason she just now willingly acknowledged Damon's impossibly handsome features.

But that admiration fled quickly in favor of another instilment of fear. Damon's crystalline eyes were clouded and the sharpened tips of his fangs were sticking out of his mouth. His lips twisted into a deformed smirk as he basked in her returning terror.

"You've made me work up _quite _an appetite."

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><p><strong>AN: **Well, Damon's finally caught his doppelganger...but will he be able to keep her? Or will Klaus find a way to take her away? What are Mason and Katherine planning? Find out in the next chapter ;) I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and enjoyed the update. I'm going to try to get Forever Got Too Long updated later today, so keep your fingers crossed!

Thank you for all the comments so far! Feel free to leave a quick comment or make any suggestions for things you'd like to see in the next or future chapters...I love hearing what you all think :)


	3. Intruder Alert

**Renaissance **

By: Darkest Ember

_Chapter 3: Intruder Alert_

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><p>The water clung to her clothing, making her exhausted body feel even heavier. If it hadn't been for Damon's arms wrapped so securely hungrily around her, Elena would've surely fallen into the river.<p>

And she would've been okay with that.

Her eyes locked on the shimmering surface of the alabaster fangs lingering just inches from her flesh. Those sharpened teeth could easily tear her to shreds. Was that what this was all about…to kill her?

No, she highly doubted that, which didn't help alleviate any of the building terror that forced her heartbeat to triple.

Damon savored the fear plastered across Elena's face. He smiled softly as he pushed some of her sopping wet hair out of his way. "Don't look so scared, Elena. I'm only here for a bite."

Elena simply shot him a glare, which probably came across as pathetic as she looked, before squeezing her eyes shut. Seconds later she felt the pointed tips of his fangs scrape along her moist flesh. The tease was short-lived. He bit into her throat without any further warning.

Her fingers gripped the material of his shirt, as if that could help make the pain any less intense. He held her struggling body in place as he took big, thick gulps of blood into his mouth. Damon was an expert by this point and knew just when to stop, provided he didn't intend to kill them in the first place.

Once his fangs ripped out of her, Elena found herself in a rather unexpected state of relaxation. Although her eyelids had grown heavy, she forced them to stay open just a moment or two longer so that she could watch Damon's monstrous features disappear.

"If only…you were…human," she mumbled subconsciously.

Damon's curiosity peaked as he registered her words, but quickly dismissed what the meaning could've been behind them as he carried her out of the water. He turned around and gave a thumbs up to Stefan, who had been standing up on the ledge, watching the entire display.

Stefan nodded and decided to head back to town, not really wanting to see what else his brother had in mind for their new captive.

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><p><em>London, England<em>

Trevor, a vampire in servitude to the European vampire regime, fell back against his chair as he stared at the text message on his phone. _The Salvatore's have located the doppelganger. _

That couldn't be right…could it? After all these years of searching, now they were the ones who found her? Trevor remembered the last incidence too clearly, from over 500 years ago. Katerina Petrova…

He sighed to himself, trying to banish memories of his time with her, before she used him and Rose to save herself. Had Klaus been successful all those years ago, none of this would be happening. And, more importantly, Trevor wouldn't have found himself in this somewhat compromising situation.

He would have to be the bearer of bad news. And the Original Vampires did not take kindly to bad news. With an audible gulp, he got out of the chair and made his way to the main chambers, dreading it more and more with each step.

As he approached the dual door entrance, he could hear male laughter and high-pitched complaining, a typical occurrence amongst these siblings, always teaming up against their sister.

All chatter ceased as Trevor entered the room, unannounced. Kol shot him a dirty look. "Just who do you think you are, waltzing in here like that?" he sneered.

Trevor tried his best to ignore all the stares, but it was hardly making him feel any less insignificant. When words began to escape and reduce him to a stuttering disaster, he held up his phone, as if they knew what that would mean.

"Out with it," Rebekah said.

"I…uh…well we just received word that the Salvatore's have identified and possibly captured the doppelganger."

The glass of blood in Klaus's hand shattered beneath his grip. No one flinched at the sound, as the glass crunched in the palm of his hand and thick streams of blood slipped out between his fingers. He stepped toward Trevor, who was now visibly shaking.

"Did you hear this from a reliable source?" Finn asked in the background, trying to ease Klaus's tension on the matter.

Trevor stole a glance at the other Original and nodded before returning his focus to the monstrous leader standing before him.

"The quality of the source is of little relevance to me," Klaus said lowly. "I will not let those bastards have the upper hand!" In a fit of rage, Klaus lunged forward and chopped Trevor's head off with the simplest swing of an arm. The unfortunate vampire's blood splattered across Klaus, making him look ever so demonic. He spun around and faced his siblings, all of which knew what needed to be done.

"Someone has to go to America…someone has to get her," Klaus mumbled.

"Not a problem," Kol said with a mischievous grin. "I'm sick of this country. Let me go do some damage."

"Why does Kol get to go?" Rebekah pouted.

"I never said Kol was going —," Klaus began to say.

"Clearly because I am the superior choice. Those Salvatore brothers wouldn't stand a chance against me."

"Please, you're about as fierce as a newborn kitten!"

"Don't make me come over there, sister."

"I'm terrified."

"Would you two cut it out before I—," Klaus cut in.

Finn and Elijah watched in silence, wearing amused smirks.

"ENOUGH," Klaus screamed. "End this childish banter before I rip both of your tongues out and feed them to the dogs."

Kol and Rebekah exchanged one last series of hateful glares before turning their attention to Klaus. "That display of yours clearly means neither one of you are getting this job," Klaus said.

That only left Finn and Elijah at his disposal. Klaus knew his family well, and he knew that this job would require not only some intelligence but also the willingness to embrace their vampiric nature, if necessary. He knew that Finn internally despised the means that granted their family eternal life.

"Elijah will go," Klaus concluded. It seemed appropriate, after all. Elijah was the one who located Katerina Petrova the first time around.

"Very well," Elijah said with elegance. He stood up and adjusted his suit jacket. "It shouldn't take longer than three days for me to bring her to you, brother."

"Don't disappoint me," Klaus said lowly, turning on his heel.

Elijah watched him leave and wondered what could possibly go wrong.

* * *

><p><em>Mystic Falls, VA<em>

Hardly considering his guards capable of the task, Damon carried an unconscious Elena up the marble staircase and into one of the guest rooms on the third floor. This particular room was created five or so years ago, made just for this specific situation. The room was fully and lavishly furnished. A grand octagonal window offered an unprecedented view of the town, but there were no latches or means to open the window. And the glass was bulletproof.

A bathroom and walk-in closet accompanied the room, each of which was windowless. Naturally, the main entrance to the room was lockable from the outside of the door. But there was no old fashioned key or anything like that – rather, the door could only be unlocked with a code, one that Damon entrusted to very few people.

Of course, Damon could've easily locked Elena in the dungeon with her counterpart, but even he felt that someone of such _importance _to him should be given the finest of accommodations. Until he killed her, of course.

Elena stirred gently as he placed her on the bed. Her eyes fluttered. All she could see was the silhouette of a man standing above her, with faint traces of lights shinning behind him. _Am I dead_? The thought immediately raced through her mind, causing a jolting sense of awakening to the rest of her body. _Is this some sort of angel-escort? _

Despite her frantic mindset, her vision quickly adjusted itself. And then she felt the odd combination of being relieved and terrified upon discovering it was Damon, not an angel, standing before her.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Damon laughed. "You're safe and sound in my mansion."

It just didn't make sense. Why would the North American vampire lord go through all this trouble to kidnap her and bring her to his mansion? Granted, she was basically living in the capital of vampire-America, but still, he could've sent one of his henchmen to do the job.

"Why?"

"You've lost too much blood to be asking so many questions. It's not healthy." He stepped closer, crawling onto the bed with her.

She laughed bitterly. "Oh, and being kidnapped and bitten _is_ healthy?"

His expression darkened. How was it that this human had such little respect for him? Didn't she realize he could kill her before she took her next breath? His face was bent near hers, and he could effortlessly hear her heart banging up against her chest. He paused a little longer, savoring the fear she was emitting.

"You're lucky I still need you to be alive," he breathed. He pulled back a little and watched her closely, a satisfied smirk spreading across his lips. And with that, he got up and turned to leave the room.

Now that he had what he wanted, he felt like having some fun to celebrate. He was going to pay Katherine a visit.

* * *

><p>Tyler threw the duffle bag full of chains onto the dirt ground of the Lockwood cave. He sighed heavily, glancing over his shoulder to find Mason looking noticeably distant. Rolling his eyes, he approached Mason and ripped the phone from his hands.<p>

After glancing at what Mason was looking at, Tyler nearly dropped the phone. "W-why were you looking at a picture of Elena? Dude, I go to school with her!" His accusing expression lessened slightly as he corrected himself. "Well, _went_ to school with her."

Mason glared at Tyler and snatched the phone back. "It's not Elena. Her name is Katherine."

"No, that was definitely Elena. I grew up with her. I think I know what she looks like."

"Wait a minute," Mason murmured. "You're serious? You really think this person is Elena? Shit…"

"What is it?"

"Katherine is a vampire. I've known her for a couple years now. Damon captured her and made her his prisoner. I never understood why he would care about her. But now it makes sense…this Elena chick must be the doppelganger."

"The doppel what?"

"Doppelganger. I thought it was just a supernatural myth…but if she does exist, then that could be my key to rescuing Katherine!" At this point Mason was mostly speaking to himself, but Tyler heard every word. And he didn't like what he was hearing.

"I'm not going to let you hand Elena over to that psychotic vampire lord. She's one of the last humans left in town. God knows what he might do to her."

"If legend holds true, he's going to kill her."

"Nope, not happening. Forget I ever brought any of this up. The moon is almost at its apex. We need to get chained up."

Mason didn't respond. The previous look of distance was now replaced with one of deep contemplation, making Tyler uncomfortable. "Mason?"

The silence was broken when Mason snapped. He shoved Tyler into the stonewall and used his superhuman speed to chain his nephew to the wall. "It's for your own good, Tyler. I have something that I need to do."

"You're going to end up _killing_ someone, unless one of the vampire guards gets to you first," Tyler said.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

Without further room for argument, Mason sped out of the cave, the sound of several rusted metal gates closing behind him.

As soon as his flesh was exposed to the pale moonlight, he could feel the transformation begin. He forbade his body to stop moving, even as his limbs twisted and contorted into unspeakable shapes. Hair rose up from his skin. His vision was slowly becoming tainted red. A burning violence boiled inside of his gut.

His noble actions were reduced to a mere limp as he struggled through the transformation to make his way through the forest. As his last shred of humanity vanished into the night sky, Mason crouched behind a bush in the form of a wolf, but not just any wolf – this one was driven by the rawest elements of emotion. Anger…lust…despair, all blended together into a singular passion, driving his every thought, his every move.

And he lost it when he caught a glimpse of a woman with long brown hair looking out a window on the third floor.

* * *

><p>Damon couldn't help but grin to himself as he approached Katherine's cell. Seeing her in a helpless mess on the ground satisfied him far too much. After the hell that she put him through, all those years of trying to find her and bring her back to life, only to find out that she had been alive and well the whole time… He would never forgive her.<p>

"What do you want now?" Katherine mumbled, shooting a nasty glance in his direction.

Damon shrugged, leaning up against the bars. "Just looking for some late night entertainment."

"Aw, did you get bored with your precious doppelganger already? Guess you must've realized that she can't quite stack up to the original one."

"Guess again," he smirked. "I'm taking my time with Elena. I'm going to enjoy every last bit of her before she has to die."

"Such a tragic love story. But if that's really the case, then what the hell do you want with me? Can't you see I'm busy?" she asked dully, examining a thick clump of dirt under her fingernail.

"If I recall, you would come visit my brother and I at all hours of the night back in the day. Why the sudden change?"

She smirked, though her eyes held traces of resentment. "I can't wait till the Originals find out that you have the doppelganger." The chains jingled as she leaned forward, taunting him. "Klaus will tear you to shreds."

Instead of responding, Damon reached for a small bucket nearby, which he could tell had been filled to the brim with water that reeked of vervain.

"You shouldn't be so hurtful, Katherine. I just came to say hello," he said innocently, biting back his anger. He waited just long enough to see a glimpse of curiosity light up her eyes before he lifted the bucket and dumped its contents onto her.

Her skin, covered in thick clumps of dirt, sizzled upon contact. Although she tried to contain herself, the pain had grown to be a little too much to handle and she let out a low groan. Once Damon emptied the bucket, he tossed it to the side and sped over to her.

"Don't you ever insult me again," he growled.

Somehow Katherine registered the sound before Damon did, perhaps because it was the sound of her own voice, so to speak. She broke out in maniacal laughter. "Looks like Elena might be dying sooner than you think."

Damon's brow furrowed as he tried to imagine what she could possibly mean. Then he heard the piercing screams coming from three stories above them.

* * *

><p>Unwilling to cope with this horrible situation she'd found herself in, Elena stepped away from the window and laid down on a surprisingly comfortable bed. Her body still ached from all that running and struggling. She couldn't possibly try to craft an escape plan in her current mindset. Tomorrow would be another day.<p>

Suddenly, the supposed unbreakable glass shattered, sending shards flying in every direction. Elena jolted awake in bed, feeling that terror creep back inside. She immediately hopped out of bed and ran toward the door. Despite her best efforts, the door wouldn't budge.

The sound of crunching glass redirected her attention as she spun around, coming face-to-face with a werewolf.

"Oh God," she whispered, feeling tears line her eyes. Werewolves had far less control than vampires over their bloodlust. And for a wolf to have targeted her specifically, jumping three stories up to reach her, Elena was sure this would be the end.

Without having much of a choice, she cried out for help, beseeching the one person she knew would do anything to keep her alive at this point and time. "DAMON!"

Hearing Damon's name, the wolf growled lowly, barring his teeth. Elena watched in disgust as saliva dripped from the wolf's mouth. His motions were blurred as he leapt forward to attack. Mason knew this wasn't Katherine. He was willing to bet that if he were to kill the doppelganger, then there would no longer be a war between the vampires and Katherine would be released.

All he wanted was to see Katherine again, even if that meant someone innocent had to die. Besides, his wolf rage was far too strong to be ignored.

He dug his claws into Elena's arm, ripping at the flesh. She cried out in pain, her voice strained. But that wouldn't stop him. He dug deeper, reaching until he collided with bone. It wouldn't take long now. Mason already noticed the bite marks on Elena's neck, which meant she'd already lost a portion of blood. He only needed to take a little more…

Before he could deliver the final strike, he felt his feet leave the ground as his body flew into a nearby dresser. The wood split apart the moment his large body hit it. Hardly deterred by the interruption, Mason charged at the intruder. But he was well prepared. A simple step to the side evaded the attack. To counter, he tightly gripped one of Mason's limbs and bent it, emitting an awful cracking sound. Mason howled in pain, but still tried snapping his fangs at the man. With almost a bored expression, the man kneed the wolf in its gut, reducing him to a whimpering heap on the floor.

Elena was just barely holding on to consciousness. The silhouette of a man approached her. He gently picked her up and made a run for the window. The last thing she saw before he leaped out the window was a sorrow-filled expression on the wolf's face. She wasn't quite sure why, but she felt sorry for him.

As the ground quickly approached the pair, Elena gasped and burrowed her face into the man's chest. Upon surviving the impact, it didn't take her long to realize that she was in the arms of another vampire.

"Let's get you out of here," he said softly.

Too weak to respond, Elena simply nodded, willing this stranger to take her anywhere away from that horrid mansion.

* * *

><p>Muttering countless obscenities under his breath, Damon sped up the stairs to Elena's room, ready to kill just about anyone in his path. He entered the code to open the door and was disgusted with what he saw. Most of the furniture was in ruins, the glass from the window was sprinkled across the floor, and blood was smeared along the walls.<p>

Elena was nowhere to be found.

Yet, Damon's keen hearing was still able to pick up the faint sound of ragged breathing. It would seem that the intruder was unable to leave the scene of the crime. Although that still didn't explain _how_ Elena escaped, Damon was glad he had someone to take his anger out on.

"Guards!" he yelled. "Take this pathetic werewolf to the torture chamber until I'm ready to deal with him."

"Right away, sir," the guards replied in unison.

Damon knew he needed to act quickly to re-capture Elena before she got too far. Since Stefan was already in town, Damon decided to give him a call and tell him what needed to be done.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Apologies for the delayed update on this story...this has been a crazy semester at school. But hey, it's summer now! What will Damon ask Stefan to do, and will Stefan do it? Will Elijah succeed in getting Elena away from Damon? Find out in the next chapter ;)

Comments = love


	4. Interrogation

**Renaissance**

By: Darkest Ember

_Chapter 4: Interrogation _

* * *

><p>Of the plentiful available seats at the Grill, Stefan chose a booth in the corner, near the fireplace. With visibly shaking hands, the waitress – a human – handed him the menu without a word.<p>

The menu was simply a double-sided piece of paper, one side listing a variety of blood types and drinks, while the other listed a couple of human meals. Stefan chose a cup of black coffee, with a hint of B positive.

Stefan was trapped in a miserable nostalgia. He remembered a time when this place would've been packed. Loud music would be playing, and everyone would be enjoying each other's company.

Now, a dull jazzy beat thumped softly from the speakers. The atmosphere reeked of death. Humans rarely came here to eat anymore, lest _they_ be eaten. Stefan was surprised to see that of the three or four occupied tables, one of them were human.

_The food must be _really_ good for them to come here so late_, Stefan thought with a bitter chuckle.

He knew he couldn't sit around there forever, not with Damon so enraged. Still, he sat by the fire a moment longer, letting the warmth wash over his dead flesh, pretending just for a moment, that he was human.

* * *

><p>Through Elena's barely conscious vision, she watched as the night sky blurred above her, wondering how far this man would run. To her, it felt like hours.<p>

He continued just a little longer before stopping at a small warehouse near the edge of the woods. He twisted the doorknob, breaking the lock with ease, and stepped inside. Elena cringed as he laid her down on a row of stacked boxes. Her skin felt like it was on fire and her limbs were stiff from all the crusted blood.

"Let me heal you," the man offered.

Elena nodded silently, watching as he bit into his wrist and held it up to her mouth. Oddly enough, Elena wasn't a stranger to the taste of vampire blood.

When the world found out about vampires, some people were more fascinated than they were horrified. In Mystic Falls, several doctors teamed up in secret to learn how to take down this supernatural being. It didn't take long for them to find out that vampire blood could be a healing device.

Before vampires took over entirely, doctors became greedy with the blood and would often times force the blood onto their sick patients, gaining miraculous reputations for their hospitals or practices.

Once the blood began to heal Elena's injuries, she felt blanketed by the stress, terror, and pure exhaustion from the day's activities. Her eyes slowly drooped, as the image of Elijah's stoic face burned into her mind. _Why does he seem so familiar?_

* * *

><p>Damon sat on his throne wearing a deep scowl. How could things have gone from perfect to disastrous so quickly? Hadn't he taken all the proper precautions, envisioning every possible scenario? He couldn't sit still any longer.<p>

"Guards!" he growled.

Two vampires appeared at his side, simultaneously responding. "Yes, sir?"

"What's the status of the wolf?"

"We used the serum that Dr. Fell developed, and it turned him back into his human form. He's been secured."

"Good. Now get out of my sight."

Damon knew that the effects of the serum wouldn't last for the remainder of the evening, so he immediately went downstairs to pay his intruder a visit.

The torture chamber was in the dungeon, though kept in a separate area than the regular prison cells. It was equipped with devices that could torture any being – vampires, werewolves, witches, humans – you name it.

Damon could hear his prisoner grunting and tugging at his restraints. "This is going to be good," he smirked.

* * *

><p>Mason's mind felt fried. At first, he tried to figure out how he had turned back into his human form so early on in the night. Then, his thoughts drifted back to Katherine. Clearly, he was in the dungeon, which was where he presumed Damon kept Katherine locked up.<p>

_If I break out of these damn chains, I'd be able to see her_, he thought, using all of his might to loosen the metallic wires.

As soon as Mason heard the creaking door open and close behind him, he froze.

"Oh no please, continue. I wouldn't want you to stop on account of me," Damon sneered.

Mason cringed, realizing that none other than Damon Salvatore had stepped into the room. For some reason, he had expected someone else to do what he presumed would be an interrogation.

"It must've taken a lot of guts for a wolf to break into a vampire lord's mansion. So why don't you tell me why you were so stupid?"

"You…you have something that I wanted," he replied, remaining vague.

"Let's try this again. What did you do with my doppelganger?"

"I didn't do anything!" he shouted. "Another vampire showed up and took her."

"Shit," Damon muttered. "If that's the case, then what were you doing in her room?"

"None of your business."

"Wrong answer." Damon walked over to the table nearby and examined a series of glass jars. Once he found the one labeled wolfsbane, he grabbed a handful of the herb and walked back over to his prisoner. In a purposely slow motion, Damon dragged the toxic plant down the side of Mason's face, watching in demented amusement as his skin began to sizzle.

"Feel like sharing yet?"

Mason drew in deep breaths as he tried his best to endure the pain. Unfortunately, he'd only been a werewolf for a couple of years and was extremely susceptible to the effects of wolfsbane. He mentally cursed himself for his weakness. "I came here to see Katherine. I saw someone in the window and thought it was her, but obviously it wasn't."

Damon's eyebrows arched as he felt genuinely surprised. _How does someone like _this_ know Katherine_? He wondered. Although he certainly hated her, he still felt a small pang of jealousy thinking of this pathetic wolf having anything to do with Katherine.

"You should consider yourself lucky," he said abruptly. In response to Mason's confused expression, he continued. "You haven't known her long enough for her to hurt you."

"She'd never hurt me," he protested. "She _loves_ me."

"Katherine doesn't love anyone but herself, you moron. That means she's using you for something…"

"Is it really that hard to accept…the possibility that she might love me more than she ever loved you?" Mason taunted.

Damon's expression quickly changed from amused to seething. Black veins peeked out from beneath his narrowed eyes. "Wolves have pretty hefty appetites, wouldn't you say?" he asked rhetorically. "Why don't you have a bite?" Using his superhuman speed, Damon gripped Mason's jaw before he could keep it shut and shoved a handful of grinded wolfsbane into his mouth.

Mason's eyes watered as the taste seeped into his taste buds, bubbling on his tongue. He began to choke on the blood spilling down his throat. He wasn't quite sure what felt worse – this physical torture or acknowledging the possibility that maybe, just maybe, Damon could be right about Katherine.

Thankfully, his healing abilities were having some effect and the pain slowly subsided. The trauma began all over again, though, once Damon continued talking. "Think about it. I know you can't be as dumb as you look. Has she asked you to do anything? Look for anything?"

Damon knew he was right the moment he noticed Mason cast his eyes downward. "The moonstone," he murmured. Of course, Damon was still able to hear it.

Before he could bite it back, Damon fell into a fit of hysterical laughter. _Leave it to Katherine to continue plotting against me, even while she's locked up_. Now Mason's role in the matter made perfect sense. There was just one last question to address. "Where are you keeping it for her?"

Mason looked as though he would consider telling the truth, but then decided against it. With a sorrowful expression, he glanced up at Damon. "I'm done talking."

This was certainly not what Damon wanted to hear. Being someone who enjoyed torturing people, to a certain extent, he decided that he needed to incorporate a different tactic. He bent down, propping himself up with an arm on each armrest. "If you don't answer my question, I will bring Katherine in here and torture her right in front of you."

He scoffed. "She's older than you. You won't stand a chance!"

"Clearly you and her haven't communicated very well. Otherwise she might've told you how I've had her locked up for _years_ with a very miniscule amount of blood and healthy doses of vervain splashed onto her."

At first, he wanted nothing more than to free himself from those restraints and rip Damon's flesh right from his bones. "How could you do that to her? Didn't you used to be in love with her or something?"

"Love changes people, for better or worse," he said, somewhat resentfully.

Mason wanted to call Damon's bluff, but the disconnected tone of his voice made him reconsider. He couldn't risk Katherine's safety. "She asked me to get the moonstone, okay?"

* * *

><p><em>London, England<em>

Kol groaned as he stared up at the elaborately decorated ceiling, trimmed with gold. He was growing tired of just sitting around. Nothing about his family's kingdom interested him anymore.

"This is taking too long," he said boredly as Klaus walked into the room.

Klaus ignored him at first, instead stepping into the wet bar and mixing himself a drink – Jack Daniels with a splash of AB positive, on the rocks. "And just what are you complaining about now?"

He leaped off the couch and joined his brother by the bar. "Elijah is taking too long. You should've sent someone more capable."

Klaus laughed before taking another sip. "Now, I know you couldn't possibly be referring to yourself. Elijah is doing what needs to be done. So long as he succeeds, it doesn't matter how long he takes."

"What about the moonstone, hmm? You expect him to magically find that as well?"

"Unless you know the whereabouts of the moonstone, I have no more interest in this conversation."

"You know I don't need your permission to go over there."

"If you value your life, you shouldn't consider the possibility. Maybe another 900 years in the coffin can change your mind."

Kol shot him a bitter look. Even though it's been centuries since Klaus locked up his family, most of them hadn't truly forgiven him just yet.

"If Kol gets to go to America, I want to go too!" Rebekah announced, peering in from behind the door.

"The same thing goes for you, sister," Klaus replied, exhaustedly.

"But Nik, we haven't been there in _years_."

"Remind me again, who would be watching my kingdom while we were off vacationing in our enemy's land?"

"Who ever said you were going?" Kol fired back.

"Someone would need to supervise you two. You're nothing but trouble."

"I resent that!" Rebekah pouted.

"This conversation is over," Klaus growled, storming out of the room.

Kol watched as his siblings left him back in the boring peace and quiet he had been in moments ago. Little did they know that in the time it took for them to argue, he had already made reservations for a flight. Amazing what technology can do these days.

* * *

><p><em>Mystic Falls, VA<em>

_ All she could see was blood. It soaked into the rug in the hallway and dripped down a frame displaying one of her school pictures. The vampire stood over her parents' bodies, stacked up on top of each other. Her body was completely numb. Death seemed inevitable. _

_ At the time, she knew nothing about vampires, other than what she had read or seen in the movies. None of that information was useful now. None of that made this any easier to witness. _

_ The vampire stepped forward without saying a single word. His mouth was slightly ajar, letting Elena see the blood on his fangs. _

_ Tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes as she stood in front of Jeremy, willing to protect him as her parents had tried to protect her. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself._

_ Something was different. Nothing had happened, so she snuck a peak. Now, instead of the hallway being shrouded by darkness, Elena saw Damon standing before her. He didn't have a single ounce of blood splatter on him, but he still looked absolutely menacing. _

_ He gave her a smoldering smirk before lunging at her and ripping into her flesh. _

Elena awoke with a jolt, the screaming in her dream carrying over to reality. Her eyes darted around the room, reminding her that all of that was a dream. During her survey of the room, she noticed Elijah, who had a newspaper in hand, looking particularly startled.

He placed the newspaper down on the table and gracefully sat down next to her. "Please don't hurt me," she whispered, her voice coarse from the screaming.

Elijah's expression softened as images of Katherine's terrified eyes flashed through his memory. He could've easily captured her that night in the woods, but he let her go. Similarly, he could do the same with Elena. All these years he'd harbored a secret way to save the doppelganger during the sacrifice ritual – he could help her.

Not really knowing what to do, he decided to put all of his focus onto calming her down for now. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I promise I will not hurt you, Elena."

She looked at him with caution radiating through pools of tears. "You're a vampire," she argued. "I don't even know your na–."

"Elijah," he interjected. "My name is Elijah."

Elena's brow furrowed as she stared at the mysterious vampire next to her. _Where have I heard that name before_? She wondered. She knew that it was probably something important – then again with how scrambled her brain was at the moment that could be nothing more than a name from the Bible or a history book.

"Thank you, Elijah," she smiled softly. Although her mind was racing with a million questions, and his was preoccupied with his conflicting morals, they were content with each other's silence.

* * *

><p>A chilling smirk crawled across Damon's lips as he glowered at the defeated, love-struck Mason Lockwood. "And did you?" he asked, circling him. "Did you retrieve the moonstone?"<p>

"It doesn't matter whether or not you find it. I purposely put in a place where no vampire can touch it."

"Guess you didn't trust your lover very much."

Mason swallowed roughly. Just because he loved Katherine didn't mean he could trust her entirely. He always felt uneasy when she'd come to him with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Thankfully, he was distracted from his own thoughts by the sound of Damon dialing a number on his phone. "What exactly have you been up to all this time, brother?"

"I was just about to go look for Elena," Stefan replied.

"Don't bother. I need you to bring me the witch. _Now_."

"Why? What's going on?"

"Just do it," Damon said, exasperated.

Mason shot him a questioning look. "You're going to send a witch after the moonstone?"

"Not exactly."

It took Stefan nearly an hour to find Bonnie Bennett and bring her to the torture chamber. Of course, she fought him, refusing to come along. On a normal day, Stefan would've let it slide, but after hearing the tone of Damon's voice and having let Elena get away with her mysterious captor, he figured he should actually follow through this time.

Bonnie glared at Damon with a look of disgust as she stepped into the room. "Nice of you to finally join us, witch," Damon sneered.

"You didn't exactly give me much of a choice."

He nodded toward Mason. "I need you to use your hocus pocus to find out where he's keeping the moonstone."

"Visions don't work like that. I don't get to ask whatever questions I want," she said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Then why don't you see what they show you and pray that it's something useful."

Reluctantly, Bonnie stepped over to Mason and placed her hands on his temples. She waited until his body relaxed and his eyes drooped before she began to mentally pry. "It's somewhere dark…wet…a well, maybe?" she murmured.

Her eyes shot open as the vision finished. "Is that the best you can do?" Damon asked.

"It's all you're going to get." She glanced between Stefan and Damon. "I'm outta here."

"Not so fast," Damon said, speeding forward to block the exit. "Wolf-boy says that he purposely hid the stone in a place where no vampires are allowed. Stefan, take the witch with you in case you need some human assistance."

"I don't think so," Bonnie replied, boldly staring the vampire lord down. "I did what you brought me here to do. I don't have to do anything else."

"I suggest that you comply, _Bonnie_. You see, after I'm done with this interrogation, I'm going to go after the stupid bastard who kidnapped Elena. Now, if I'm not mistaken, you and Elena are good friends. If you don't accompany Stefan, I'll chain you up and torture your friend right in front of you."

"You wouldn't do that. You need her!"

"I don't think a little sex would kill her," Damon smirked.

"You're disgusting," Bonnie growled, angrily following Stefan out the door.

Damon waved playfully as he watched them leave. Now all he had to do was finish up here and he could begin his search for his beloved doppelganger.

He turned around and sauntered toward Mason. "I think we can both agree that you are no longer useful."

"If you're going to kill me, then just get it over with," he said softly.

Damon could see the mixture of sorrow, defeat, and anger in Mason's eyes. He'd be doing him a favor to put him out of his misery. He walked over to the chair and placed a hand on each arm for support. "You don't even have to thank me," he said, shoving a hand into Mason's chest and ripping his heart out. After tossing the heart to the side, Damon watched as the light fled from Mason's eyes, his body hunching over.

Just as he was about to order someone to come clean up the mess, a guard sped toward him, an urgent look on his face. "Sir, we may have figured out who took Elena."

"Don't just stand there like an idiot! Tell me," Damon demanded.

"Kol Michaelson just arrived at the airport up in Richmond. That's only an hour from here…"

"What does that have to do with Elena?"

"After looking into the records at the airport, we discovered that Elijah arrived last night. We believe that he was the one who took her."

* * *

><p>As the hours passed, despite her previous comfort in Elijah's silent presence, Elena found herself growing restless. Why were they just sitting there? Why did he save her in the first place? Could she even trust him? The fact that he was a vampire – one who still seemed so uncomfortably familiar – made it all the more difficult.<p>

"Elijah?" she began. "I do appreciate you saving me, but what are we doing here? Can't you just take me back home?"

Elijah paused, avoiding eye contact. He knew what he _should _do – deliver the doppelganger to his brother and make Klaus the true ruler of vampires. But that wasn't really what he wanted to do. Elena, much like Katherine as a human, didn't deserve to have her life ended for a cause that didn't even concern her. He sighed. Surely his prior rescue would be enough to suppress his guilt.

"I'm afraid I can't take you home, Elena. It wasn't a coincidence that I saved you. We have other business to attend to."

"What kind of business?"

"He wants to kill you." Elena and Elijah both turned around at the sound of a third male voice in the room. Kol was standing in the shadows. "Isn't that right, Elijah?"

Elena looked back and forth between the two men. "Who are you?"

"My name is Kol Michaelson," he replied without hesitation. "Elijah, my brother, wishes to take you back to London, to Niklaus."

"That's why you seemed so familiar," Elena whispered, feeling fear rattle her bones. She leaped up from the couch, desperate to keep her distance from the treacherous vampire. "I can't believe I almost trusted you!"

"Elena, please understand. It isn't my choice."

"Then don't turn her in, brother," Kol taunted. "Let's keep her for ourselves!"

"I won't go with you! I didn't just escape one monster only to be taken by another."

"You won't be able to escape," Elijah replied.

"Be smart about this, Elena. You can't escape either one of us," Kol said. "He wants to carry you to your death. I, on the other hand, want to help you. Unlike everyone else in my family, I do not fear Niklaus."

"He's lying. He might not take you to Niklaus, but he'll find some other way to toy with you until he gets bored."

"Darling, you can trust me. All I care about is keeping you alive."

Elena wanted to scream. How could she choose between these two vampires? Both of them would probably end up killing her. _At least if I go with Kol, I'll have plenty of chances to escape_, she considered.

"I'm sorry, Elijah," she whispered, walking toward Kol. While she offered Elijah a sympathetic look, she was unable to see Kol's wicked grin.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I think we can all agree that Kol is up to no good ;) I'm excited to write the following scenes between him and Elena...after reading some fanfics and watching some videos, I think they make an interesting couple. But don't worry, Damon will get Elena back soon :P

Wow, this is my second story update in one day. Making up for lost time!

Comments?


	5. The Lion's Den

**Renaissance **

By: Darkest Ember

_Chapter 5: The Lion's Den_

* * *

><p><em>Warning: This chapter contains character death and some slightly disturbing scenarios. Just wanted to give a heads up!<em>

* * *

><p>(One hour ago)<p>

Kol sat in his rental car, his eyes fixed on the Gilbert residence. It took more effort than he cared to admit to initially locate the house, but thankfully there was an endless supply of weak-minded vampires and humans who could be compelled to help. From what he could hear, there were three people in Elena's house – Jenna, Alaric, and Jeremy. Given Elena's importance in the grand scheme of things, Kol was willing to bet that her family was prepared for any unwanted vampire company.

_Obviously not prepared _enough_ if Damon Salvatore was able to take her_, he thought, snickering. Nevertheless, if he wanted to be invited in, he would have to get crafty.

He strolled up to the porch, teetering back and forth between which plan would be the most fun to use. He could play the naïve-looking lad with a broken car that he'd seen in far too many modern horror films. He could lure one of them out and kill him or her to send a message to the others inside the house…

The sound of approaching footsteps suspended his brainstorm. He just barely had enough time to duck behind one of the potted plants before a man stepped out of the house with a bag of garbage in hand and a wooden stake protruding from his back pocket. Although Kol had to give him credit for anticipating an ambush, it wouldn't do much to protect him from an Original vampire.

* * *

><p>If taking out the garbage seemed laborious before, imagine how much worse it could be with the added threat of crazed vampires lurking in the darkness. Alaric considered himself lucky, though. In his opinion, he had more training and more weapons than the average American. Despite his skills, he still wasn't able to protect Elena. Regret was tearing him up inside, but it didn't stop him from finding a way to save her. Meeting up with the remaining members of the former council, Alaric was forming a plan of attack. All he needed was a vampire to infiltrate Damon's lair.<p>

Alaric rolled the garbage cans down to the curb, relieved to find the streets completely desolate – a sad sight to see on a Friday evening.

"WATCH OUT!" Jeremy shouted, voice accompanied by something whirring through the air. Alaric spun around, heartbeat quickening at the sound of a groan coming from close behind him. Kol fell to his knees, nursing a nasty wound in his leg. Kol soon realized that Jeremy had been watching from the bedroom window and leapt to his feet, while fighting the urge to rip their throats out.

"Who are you?" Alaric asked, fingers itching to reach for the stake.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," Kol said, trying to flash his most innocent smile. Try as he may, there was no hiding the edgy, predatory gleam in his eyes. "Based on my accent, I'm sure you can tell I'm not exactly from around here." He gestured back to the rental car. "Could you tell me where the nearest gas station is?"

Alaric wasn't fooled. Regardless of your intentions, you just don't sneak up behind someone, especially in today's world. "Back in England, where you belong," he replied.

His suspicions were confirmed as Kol's seemingly friendly smile twitched downward into a nasty sneer. He lunged forward, thinking his supernatural speed would give him the upper hand, but Alaric was ready.

The stake slid between two of Kol's ribs, cracking them out of place from the force behind Alaric's assault. "You missed," Kol spat, looking down at his own spilt blood with disdain.

"No I didn't," Alaric replied, surprised by the sturdiness of his voice. "_Who are you_?"

Kol bit through the pain and looked up at him with pure hatred in his eyes. "Is this any way to be treating someone who's come to save Elena?"

Jeremy had joined the group on the front lawn, crossbow still in hand. "What do you know about my sister?"

"I know that if you kill me, you'll never see her again. Damon can't seem to keep his hands on her. The Originals are going to take advantage of the situation if something isn't done soon."

"You can't honestly expect us to just take your word. Jeremy wouldn't have shot you if he didn't think you were trying to attack me."

A small sigh slipped past Kol's lips as his head dropped, signifying surrender. He could already feel Alaric's grip slacken. In one fluid motion, he lifted his head back up – wearing a fang-filled smile – and gripped Alaric's throat. But before his fangs could slip into Alaric's flesh, Kol felt the stake slide upward at the exact angle needed to pierce his heart. He fell onto the grass in a heap, his skin ashen, his eyes glazed.

Jeremy stared wide-eyed at Alaric, amazed at how quickly he responded. "What the hell is going on?" he breathed.

Alaric shook his head, sucking in breaths at rapid successions. "I wish I knew. Something tells me he wasn't here to protect Elena."

Desperately needing a shot of bourbon, Alaric walked back toward the house. Just before he made it to the porch, he felt a sudden, burning pain in his lower back. Someone's arm wrapped around his neck, effectively choking him. "The name's Kol Mikaelson," he snarled into Alaric's ear. "Unfortunately for you, I can't be killed with such a pathetic weapon."

"Let him go," Jeremy shouted, taking aim once more.

"Take another step and I'll snap his neck."

Jeremy was struggling to conceal his nervousness, but tried to keep his arms steady, nevertheless. "What do you want?"

Kol grinned. "I simply seek an invitation into your lovely home."

"Go…to hell," Alaric said through wheezed breaths.

"Care to rephrase that?" Kol asked, twisting the stake deeper into Alaric's back. "If we keep this up, you'll bleed out before I can go retrieve Elena."

"None of this makes any sense! Why do you care about Elena? If you're an Original, then you'll probably just take her back to your family."

He released his grip on Alaric and kicked his knees out, sending him down to the ground. "Quite the contrary, mate. I could care less what my family wants."

Jeremy didn't buy a single word. Kol had lied to them from the beginning of his sudden appearance on the front lawn. Alaric and the council could rescue Elena, not this creep. All it took was hearing Alaric's painful groans before he lost control and sent three arrow-sized stakes flying toward the Original. Kol caught the first two with a bored expression; however, the third landed right in his stomach, catching him by surprise.

"Big mistake," he spat, springing forward and driving the stake into Jeremy's gut.

* * *

><p>Stefan stared down the well, squinting to get a better look. There was a chain floating in the murky water, and he was willing to bet that chain would lead him to the prized moonstone. He handed the flashlight to Bonnie, who had been silently taking in her surroundings and debating making a run for it.<p>

Deciding against relying on rusted chains as a means to get inside, Stefan jumped into the well, landing with a hard _splash!_ He reached for the chain, pleased to find that it was indeed attached to something. But before a satisfactory smile could fully form on his lips, his skin began sizzling. His cries reverberated off the stony walls, piercing Bonnie's ears.

"S-Stefan, what's going on?" she asked, feeling half alarmed, half elated.

"There's…there's…VERVAIN!"

Bonnie bit her lower lip, wondering what she should do. Almost as if reading her mind, Stefan cried out to her. "Bonnie! Please don't leave! You can…you can have the moonstone."

"Like I'm supposed to believe that? You and I both know that once Damon finds out you failed, he'll probably try to kill both of us."

"No…I'll protect you," he pleaded.

"I have a better idea," she murmured, closing her eyes and focusing on a spell.

Although the pain still lingered, Stefan could tell something was different. He opened his eyes, surprised to watch the water evaporate. The smoky substance still contained vervain particles, making it difficult to breathe. Soon that too vanished up into the night sky. Once again Stefan's celebration was cut short by the sound of the metal barrier being placed back on top of the well.

The sound of Bonnie's retreating footsteps was the last thing he heard before collapsing, moonstone in hand, on the moist ground.

* * *

><p>Damon discarded the corpse on the floor in front of the blazing fireplace. "Useless moron," he muttered, walking away from the charred remains of his former assistant – in this case, the bearer of bad news.<p>

Even though his hands were coated in blood, Damon's rage continued to boil. How could his so-called _most trusted _advisors and security guards completely miss Elijah's arrival in Virginia? He picked up a glass of half drunken scotch and hurled it into the wall, nearly colliding with the person who'd just entered the room.

She eyed the dented, dripping spot on the wall before shifting her attention to the angered vampire lord standing before her. "What's got you so on edge?"

Damon shot her an incredulous look. "Really, Rose? Don't play that game."

"Okay, you got me," she shrugged. "I just don't see how throwing glasses or," she paused, noticing the corpse on the floor, "killing your followers is going to bring Elena back."

"And how would you suggest I handle the situation?"

"You could start by sending out a search team, or you could unwind for a little bit." She leaned forward, running her fingers along his chest, feeling the bulging muscles underneath his shirt.

Rose had been by Damon's side since the beginning of the vampire invasion. Overzealous in her desire to watch Klaus' reign in England crumble and knowledgeable with inside information of the Original family, she was exactly the kind of ally Damon was looking for. It also didn't hurt that she was easy on the eyes.

Damon followed her fingers as they climbed up his chest, traced his collarbone, and reached his cheek, stroking softly. "I hate seeing you like this," she murmured, brows knitted with concern.

He sighed, his heated rage slowly cooling down. "It's not like I have much of a choice. As soon as I get my hands on one of the key pieces in the puzzle, Klaus rips it away."

Pleased to see that she was successfully calming him down, Rose decided to seal the deal. "I've already sent a team of your men to the airports and docks to make sure that Elijah and Elena won't be able to leave," she lied smoothly. "Unless you'd like to join them, there's really nothing you can do right now."

It was difficult to argue with her logic, as much as Damon wanted to tear the town apart until he found Elena himself. "What else did you have in mind?" he asked, eyes dancing with mischief.

She giggled a little before leaning forward, her lips ghosting across his. In a flash, he pressed the palm of his hand along the base of her skull, pulling her tightly up against him as his tongue slid through the narrow parting between her lips. She pushed him down so that he was laying across the cushions while she straddled his hips, reaching to pull her shirt off at a torturously slow rate. Unable to contain himself, Damon tore the shirt down the center, discarding the tattered remains onto the floor.

"You know I don't like teases," he said, glaring playfully.

Despite intending to act as a mere distraction, Rose easily found herself wanting this just as much as Damon. She started to unbutton his shirt, but stopped short once she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. "Ignore it," he breathed, grabbing her hand.

"Let me at least see who it is." She used her other hand to pull out the phone. Alarm spread across her face the moment she read the caller ID. "It's Trevor." Her voice had shifted from breathy and seductive to choked and nervous in seconds.

Damon didn't know much about Trevor, except that he was Rose's best friend and that Klaus was holding him prisoner. He couldn't ignore the way she was trembling. Begrudgingly, he let her go. She scurried out of the room, not bothering to grab a blanket or the remains of her shirt to cover herself.

_Wait a minute, _Damon frowned, _if this guy has been a prisoner all this time, how does he have a cell phone…how would Rose have his number? _

He crept out of the room and followed the sound of her faint footsteps. Once he got close enough, he slipped into a shadowy corner and listened to the conversation.

"Trevor!" Rose exclaimed. "I thought I'd never hear from you again. Have they arrived yet?"

"Trevor is dead." _Klaus_.

"W-what? No, that can't be. We did everything you asked!"

"Well, let's just say it was rather unfortunate that dear Trevor had to be the one to tell me that Damon Salvatore acquired the doppelganger before I could. Someone had to pay the price."

Rose was reduced to angry sobs. "He's served you for the last five hundred years to make up for his mistakes with Katerina. If he hadn't told you where the girl was, you'd fall behind Damon. You wouldn't even know that she'd been discovered!"

Klaus laughed bitterly. "That hardly did me any good. As you may know, Elijah was sent to retrieve her, but Kol has decided to turn this situation into another one of his immature games."

"What do you mean?"

"Kol took Elena from him and now she's lost to us yet again. So, it would seem that Trevor's revelation did little to help me. If you don't watch your mouth, Rose, you'll be next."

Damon felt a wave of nausea bubble in his stomach as he slid down the wall into a slouched heap on the floor. On the one hand, he found out that not only was Elena still in Mystic Falls, but she wasn't with Elijah. But then there was Rose…

_How could she betray me like that? All of that back in the other room was all a big joke, a distraction to give Elijah enough time to escape. That bitch is_ dead_._

* * *

><p>Elena reclined in the comfortable leather passenger seat of Kol's car. An array of emotions were flowing through her mind – relief that she was able to escape Damon, Mason, and Elijah, anger that she'd been betrayed, more or less, and happiness to see the familiar streets of her neighborhood coming toward her.<p>

"Is this the right street, darling?" Kol asked.

She nodded, no longer able to hold back her smile. Although she had been gone for no more than two days, it felt as if she'd been missing for months. Regardless, she knew that once she was inside her house, she wouldn't be leaving for quite a while.

Kol pulled to a stop and parked in front of Elena's house. He stole a quick glance out the window, easily noticing all the blood on the lawn from earlier. He watched her as she fumbled with the seat belt and reached for the door.

"I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am. You saved my life," Elena said, fumbling with the seatbelt.

"It was honestly nothing," he shrugged. "Here, why don't you let me walk you to the door, just in case anyone's hiding in the shadows or something."

While Elena didn't share in his laughter, she did agree that the extra protection, even for the short distance, couldn't hurt. He walked alongside her up the porch stairs and lingered next to her as she went to unlock the door. Awkwardness and discomfort became evident in her forced smile as she made eye contact with him.

"Thanks again, Kol," she said, opening the front door and stepping inside. He didn't back away, didn't appear to have any intentions of leaving just yet. His smirking lips and darkened eyes made her question her decision to accept his accompaniment.

_He can't do anything to me_, she mentally reminded herself. _I'm in my house now. He can't come in. _

She didn't turn back to look at him as she closed the door. When the door suddenly flew back open, nearly snapping her shoulder out of place in the process, Elena screamed, making a run for the kitchen.

"What's the matter, darling? Don't you think I deserve something in return for sparing you from my brothers' wrath?" Kol asked, smirking as he heard her heartbeat frantically increase its pace.

Elena dived for the cabinet below the sink and grabbed a few spare weapons – namely a couple of vervain grenades and some stakes. "Stay away from me," she replied, her voice holding surprisingly steady, given the circumstances.

Kol casually strolled into the kitchen, staring down at her crouched position on the floor. "Aren't you at all curious as to how I got invited into your cozy residence?"

Too preoccupied with his proximity, Elena didn't notice the lack of relatives responding to her sudden arrival. "What did you do?"

He shrugged, stepping over to the liquor cabinet and toying with some of the wine glasses. "Alaric and Jeremy put up a decent fight, for humans. Poor innocent Jenna had no idea what was going on until it was too late…"

Elena's fingers tightened into a painful grip around the grenade in her hand. "_What did you do?_"

"Why tell you, when I can _show_ you?" he said amusedly, walking out the back door. Despite the horrible feeling of dread and mistrust building in Elena's stomach, she followed a few steps behind him into the backyard. She only had to squint into the darkness for a brief amount of time before Kol turned the landscaping lights on, revealing her family. Each of them had a noose tied loosely around their necks and duct tape over their mouths, with nothing but a couple of plastic milk crates preventing them from hanging themselves.

Elena's eyes watered with sorrow, fear, and anger as she took in the horrific sight before her. Alaric seemed to be unconscious, but Jenna and Jeremy were both staring at her with wide, pleading eyes. "Let them go," she cried. "They have nothing to do with this!"

"On the contrary, Elena, if it hadn't been for their assistance, I never would've been invited in."

"What was the point of that if we're outside anyway?" she spat.

Kol took a couple of steps toward her, that same evil, yet playful look fixed on his face. "What makes you think I'll only be seeing you tonight?"

"This," she said lowly, pulling the pin out of the grenade and tossing the explosive toward him. He didn't have enough time to get out of the way as it blew up into several thousand vervain-filled shards. The pain was more than he had anticipated, feeling as though each of his nerves was enflamed. In the haze of his suffering, Elena lunged forward, knocking both of them to the ground with her on top of him, a stake ready to pierce his heart. Before she could carry through with what would've been pointless in the end, his hands wrapped around her wrists with bone-crushing force.

Elena groaned in pain, accidently letting the stake slip out of her hands. "Consider that the last mistake you'll ever make," Kol growled, speeding both of them over to the tree from which Jenna, Alaric, and Jeremy were hanging. Her back roughly hit the unforgiving bark of the tree trunk. She dared to look at Kol through her tear-filled eyes. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Astonishingly, Kol gave an informative answer. "I've been hearing about the Petrova doppelganger for the last thousand years. I can still remember how foolish Niklaus and Elijah had been for fighting over Tatia… And then there was Katerina, where once more they feuded over whether or not she should die. Once the vampires took over, it was all Niklaus ever talked about. I was sick of hearing about you, so I decided to put a kink in my brother's master plan and see what all the fuss was about for myself."

"How do you expect to learn anything about me like this?"

Kol laughed. "I could learn many things," he paused, barring his fangs. "Like how you taste."

Jeremy, who had immediately started struggling once he saw his sister, used his teeth to haphazardly remove a majority of the duct tape from his mouth. "Do something, Elena! Think about all the things Alaric taught us."

Kol could practically read the thoughts soaring through Elena's mind, just by watching her eyes. First, she panicked at the sound of her brother's voice – almost as if she forgot about the family members Kol was holding hostage. Then there was a more distant look, before the unwanted return of confidence.

Keeping her eyes locked on his, Elena subtly reached around the base of the tree and tugged on a low-hanging, loose twig. Without hesitation, she jabbed the small, though effective weapon into his throat, causing him to stumble backwards in unanticipated pain.

"You little bitch," he growled, voice low and gravely. She knew that he was angered beyond compare, but she had other things to worry about. Side-stepping his inaccurate reaches, she made it over to Jeremy and the others. All she had to do was untie his hands and he could take care of the rest. Just as her fingers touched the coarse rope, Kol tangled his fingers in her hair and used his grip to pull her into his chest.

"There'll be plenty of time for Jeremy later. Why don't we go pay Jenna a visit? She isn't looking so good."

Alerted by his words, Elena glanced over at her aunt and realized that he had a point. She was the palest of the three and looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown, though Elena could hardly blame her. Despite her concern for Jenna, she still subconsciously struggled against Kol's forced movements as they approached Jenna.

Kol knew how to get into people's minds – how to find out their deepest fears and use them against his victims. He could tell as soon as Elena saw her family in such a twisted perilous predicament that he'd been correct. Her loved ones were her weakness. _Pathetic human emotion_, he thought.

Keeping this in mind, he didn't feel too concerned when he released Elena, who nearly lost her balance without his stilted support. "You hurt me, Elena," he said teasingly. "I think it's only fair that someone else be hurt as well." He glanced up at Jenna, flashing her his most charming grin.

"No!" Elena blurted, causing both Jenna and Kol to look at her. "I…please, don't hurt them. I'm the one who attacked you."

"I find psychological punishment to be equally as effective as physical," he shrugged, stepping over to the milk crate currently acting as the only thing suspending Jenna between life and death.

Elena made a move to stop him but froze when she saw him bend down and tip the crate, which caused Jenna to stand on her tiptoes. Jenna's eyes squeezed shut as she vehemently shook her head, pointlessly pleading through the duct tape.

"I'm sorry," Elena cried, daring to approach him. "I'm so, _so _sorry, Kol. Please leave her alone."

Of all the reactions Elena could anticipate, laughter hadn't been one of them.

* * *

><p>Rose felt like her skin was on fire. Unable to move, she fell to the ground, a crumpled mess. <em>How could Klaus do that<em>, she wondered, shaking from the sobs. _After all these years…_ They would've been better off on the run, jumping from town to town if they thought Klaus's followers were near. Anything would've been better than just submitting to his bidding.

Lost in her sorrow and regret, Rose didn't hear Damon slip into the room. He approached her slowly, fighting the urge to simply rip her head right off her shoulders. Instead, he placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to spin around with an almost crazed expression on her face, like a cornered animal. The guilt was so clear in her eyes, but with a few blinks and sniffles, she managed to push it away. "Damon, I–."

"Come here," he offered, sitting down next to her and pulling her into a tight embrace. "Did something happen?"

Rose didn't know what to say. It's not like she could admit to her, for lack of a better term, double agent status. Yet, she couldn't just say nothing was wrong because she had very obviously been balling her eyes out like a child. "It was Trevor… He's worried Klaus is going to do something crazy, soon."

Damon was somewhat amused with her response. He could tell that she was struggling with what to say. "Crazy, huh? Did he go into much detail? Any insight we could get will help."

_Shit_. "Um…well he couldn't talk for long. He said…he said that Klaus is building an army of supernatural creatures."

Nodding with feigned interest, Damon pulled one arm away from her and retrieved the stake he had tucked between his belt and pants. "I'll have to have someone look into that. I guess I still don't understand how that got you so shaken up. You seemed to be pretty _happy_ ten minutes ago."

She laughed, despite herself. "Maybe this is just my mask finally cracking. It's not easy to keep a calm composure around you, you know. Especially with all this doppelganger business."

"You don't have to worry too much longer. It'll all be over soon."

"_How_?" she asked, voice trembling. "How will it ever be over when it's been going on for so many years already?"

"Shh," he whispered, stroking her arm. "You just leave all of that up to me."

She was tired. Tired of this pointless quest. Tired of running from everything. Tired of what this world had become. As her eyelids drooped and a distant feeling of contentedness overcame her, Damon punctured her heart, jamming the stake so deep into her flesh that the pointed end came out on the other side, just inches from his own heart.

A small, croaked breath of air left her decaying lungs as thick globs of blood spilled out onto Damon. He gently laid her body on the floor and watched her skin grow desiccate. He couldn't quite explain why, but he felt sad. Hadn't she betrayed him? Didn't she deserve this? _I had to do it_, he reasoned, stumbling away from the corpse. _Now is not the time to grow soft._

* * *

><p>Awoken by the feeling of his still-burning lungs, Stefan clung to the wooden box containing the moonstone. He needed to get out of there and take the relic back to the mansion before anything else could go wrong.<p>

It wasn't easy, but brick by decrepit brick, Stefan scaled up the well and shoved the metal grate out of his way. The moment he tasted fresh air, he sucked it in, so desperately.

After pausing to regain his strength, Stefan sped through the woods and back home.

Just after stepping into the foyer, he could smell the blood, copious amounts of it. But it wasn't _human_ blood. Feeling more curious than concerned, Stefan sought out his brother and discovered that, naturally, he was covered in someone else's blood.

"What happened?"

"I've had tons of fun while you were away, brother," he replied distantly, eyes locked on the flames in the fireplace and a glass of whiskey gripped firmly in his hand.

"I can see that," Stefan nodded, taking a seat next to him. "Who was it this time?"

"Rose."

Stefan could tell from the tone of his voice that it wasn't a matter that he cared to discuss in further detail, which surprised him. Instead, he decided that he should share the good news. He cleared his throat and held up the wooden box. "I got the moonstone."

Damon reached for the box and opened it, a pleased grin sliding across his face. "Now all I need is my precious little doppelganger."

* * *

><p>Tension was beyond thick in the Mikaelson residence. Not caring to hear Rebekah complain about not being able to travel to America or Klaus leaving enraged voicemails on Kol's cell phone, Finn decided to retire early. As he closed his eyes, he heard a whisper.<p>

"My son…"

He sprung up in his bed, eyes darting around the room, ready to disprove the absurd idea that his mother was in the room. But there she was, looking exactly as she had a thousand years ago. "M-mother. How is this possible?"

"I am afraid I do not have sufficient time to explain. There is something you must know about the Petrova curse."

He licked his lips, leaning forward in eager anticipation. For once in his life, he _wanted_ to hear what someone had to say about it. "What is it?"

"I am aware that in addition to Niklaus, there are other vampires vying to perform the spell. Do not stop them from doing so."

Finn shrugged. "I have no interest in such things. Quite frankly, I find the topic to be long since exhausted."

"You must help Niklaus complete that spell. It is rumored that the one who completes the spell will become an unstoppable being, but that is false."

"Then what truly happens?"

Esther stepped forward, a near wicked smile on her face. "Once that spell is performed, every vampire will die."

* * *

><p>Oh snap, plot twist! Things are going to get really interesting now ;)<p>

I've been trying to get this chapter written for forever but between work and school it was hard to stay focused. But, thanks to the "snowpocalypse" in Missouri today, I got a snow day and finally had the time to work on this!

Also, after reading some of the comments, please understand that although I don't update my stories as much as should, it isn't because I don't want to or because I lost interest in the story. I'm just crazy busy sometimes :/

Anyway, if you could lave a quick comment I'd really appreciate it. And as always, thanks for reading!


	6. Kiss of Death

**Renaissance**

By: Darkest Ember

_Chapter 6: Kiss of Death_

* * *

><p>Caroline glared out the window as she stood with her arms crossed over her chest. Liz glanced up from the newspaper and sighed, wishing her daughter wouldn't question her parental authority for once in her life.<p>

"Are you seriously going to stand there all night?" Liz asked.

A few moments of silence passed before Caroline spun around with a huff. "This is _so_ unfair!" she shrieked. "I'm 18 years old. I don't need a curfew, especially on a Friday night!"

"Have you forgotten that murderous monsters roam the streets now?" Upon noticing that Caroline didn't even flinch at the mention of vampires, Liz pushed a little deeper. "What about Elena? She was kidnapped just two days ago. She…she could be dead for all we know."

This earned the slightest crinkled brow before Caroline's stubborn mask returned, albeit less resolute than before. "I can take care of myself," she muttered, slouching on the couch. "Come on, mom. There's this really awesome party at –."

"The answer is no, Caroline," Liz replied firmly. "Maybe you should tell your friends to start partying during the day."

"Stupid vampires," she grumbled, admitting temporary defeat. One way or another, she would find a way out tonight. No vampire was going to steal her social life. It was all she had left.

As the hours dragged by, and the sound of the TV on at maximum volume continued to come from Caroline's bedroom, Liz decided to call it a night. She performed her nightly ritual of checking to make sure that all the doors and windows were locked before heading to her own bedroom. While walking down the dark hallway, she bitterly laughed to herself. _I must have the only daughter who doesn't take this vampire threat seriously_.

* * *

><p>Stefan watched silently as Damon paced in front of the fireplace. They had the moonstone in their possession, they had an endless supply of vampire candidates, and Mason Lockwood would surely have wolf brethren coming to look for him in a short time. This only left the matter of re-obtaining the doppelganger, a task that Stefan was truly loathing. It was already bad enough that he had a sinking feeling that Damon was planning on killing Katherine in the ritual as well.<p>

Yet there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

"Elena could literally be anywhere right now, if Elijah was involved," Stefan stated.

"Don't you think I already know that, brother?" Damon shot back. He broke stride and walked over to the mini bar for a blood bag. He tore the cap off and guzzled down the blood. Once he finished, he discarded the shriveled plastic and remained still, deep in thought. "If she could be anywhere," he said slowly. "Then we need to have a witch do a locator spell."

Stefan's thoughts returned to Bonnie, how she so easily left him to die in that Vervain-laced trap. Stefan knew that she wouldn't willingly help a vampire again. "You really think Bonnie will do that for you?" he snorted.

"Let's…go pay her a friendly visit. If words won't work, I'll resort to actions," he grinned.

Despite the trepidation building in the back of Stefan's mind, he agreed to go along with Damon, if only to make sure things don't get _too_ out of hand.

It was a risk to leave the mansion unguarded at night, but Damon didn't have a choice. Beating Klaus to the sacrifice was all that mattered in the end. As such, they sped over to the Bennett residence at breakneck speed. Damon was marching straight to the front door, but Stefan lunged for him and dragged him into the bushes. Upon receiving an angered and confused look from Damon, Stefan motioned to his ear and then pointed to a bedroom window on the second floor.

"Are you even listening to me, Caroline?" Bonnie all but shrieked. "If that well hadn't been filled with Vervain, I never would've escaped!"

"I think you're being a little dramatic, Bon. If they wanted you so badly, they wouldn't have let you get away. Now, are you going to join me or not?"

Bonnie fell onto her bed and heaved an exasperated sigh. "No, I'm not leaving this house. And if you were smart, you'd do the same. These vampires have Elena! No one has heard from her since she disappeared, which means she could be _dead_."

"I know, I know," Caroline growled, frustrated that people don't find her to be compassionate toward Elena's misfortune. "But, Elena would want us to continue living and having a good time!"

"The answer is no, Caroline."

Damon gave Stefan a downright devilish grin. "I think I figured out how to lure the witch out of her safe haven."

* * *

><p>Kol couldn't help but laugh at Elena's disposition. Not only had he guessed her weakness with undisputable precision, but he also had complete control over all these humans' lives – and all Elena could do is cry, as if her tears would do anything for her. Although it pained him to admit it, deep down inside, Kol felt sympathy toward Elena. Her fate was sealed the moment she was born the Petrova doppelganger.<p>

However, in the extended amount of time Kol took to torment Elena's emotions, Jeremy had been fueled by just the right mixture of fear and rage to undo the rope tied around his wrists and step out of the noose. He grabbed one of the stakes Kol had taken from him and Alaric and charged toward the Original.

"Stay away from her, you creep!" he snarled, fully intending to jam the stake in a painful point somewhere near Kol's spinal column.

Naturally, Kol could hear the attack, though was admittedly surprised at first. He spun around and gripped Jeremy's arm mid-attack. "On second thought," he said, voice alit with amusement, "I think you'd make a much better snack than your Aunt Jenna."

"Stop it!" Elena screamed. "Stop hiding behind this pathetic game of yours and take what you really want. Me."

Kol laughed, wrapping an arm securely around Jeremy's neck as he turned both of them around to face Elena. "Maybe you're too stupid to realize this, darling, but I _am_ taking what I want from you. I'm simply going about it in a more sophisticated manner – by using your pathetic human emotions and familial bonds against you. It makes for a far more entertaining encounter."

She did not share in his laughter, nor did she care for his explanation. Instead, Elena took three bold steps toward him, all while keeping her face locked in an expression of pure spite. "When your brother, Elijah, first took me away from Damon, I couldn't have been happier. But I know that Damon is looking for me, and as soon as he finds me, I will practically _run _into his arms. Once I'm dead, no one will have any more reasons to hurt my family or friends."

Kol loosened his grip on Jeremy's neck as he closed the space between him and Elena. "If you just hand yourself over like that, like _suicide_, I swear on my eternal life, I will kill every person you've ever loved."

This caused Elena's anger to show cracks of confusion. "Why do you care what happens to me? In the end, it's either going to be Damon or Klaus who will kill me."

"Are you really that stupid?" he asked, groaning. "Of course there's another way out. Become a vampire!"

"Are _you_ really that stupid?" she mocked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I would never want to become a monster like you, even if my life depended on it."

Kol lowered his head and smirked. "Oh, sweet Elena. Don't say things you don't mean." When he lifted his head to look back at her, he smiled with fangs fully extended and eyes the darkest shade of black.

* * *

><p>Caroline glanced at her reflection once more before opening the window and stepping outside. It was times like these that made her happy to have a simplistic one-story house – she'd never have to worry about climbing up and down trees when sneaking out at night.<p>

How many times had Elena fallen out of that massive tree outside her window when she'd sneak out freshmen year of high school? Caroline paused, leaning against the house and staring up at the sky. _I'd give anything to have things go back to normal_, she thought. _Hell, just to have Elena back home with her family…_

She wiped the tears from her eyes before the moisture could ruin her carefully applied makeup.

"Scared to be out at night alone?" a seductive voice asked from the shadowy corner of her yard. Any sorrow she had felt quickly morphed to fear, though she didn't dare show it.

Caroline scoffed. "Of course not. If I were afraid, I wouldn't be out here, dumbass."

"Right, because standing a whole foot from your how is _so_ brave."

For a moment, she considered scrambling back inside as she stole glances over her shoulder at the safety of her bedroom. As if reading her mind, the man – or vampire in this case – lunged out of the shadows and wrapped a hand around her neck. Caroline struggled to make out his face in the dim lighting.

"Why don't we go pay a visit to your dear friend Bonnie," he said in a taunting voice. Before she could choke out a response, he slammed her head against her house until her body fell limp in his arms.

Stefan, fearing that Damon was taking things too far, retreated from his hiding spot and approached the pair. "Couldn't you just compel her to follow us?" he sighed.

Damon rolled his eyes and haphazardly tossed her into Stefan's arms. "She was asking for it."

"Can we…can we just get this over with. Remember, we still don't know where Elena is. She could be anywhere…"

Damon knew that he had a good point, so together they returned to Bonnie's house. Damon motioned for Stefan to wait in the front yard while he walked up to the front door. It took three knocks before someone answered. As soon as Bonnie saw his face, she screamed and slammed the door shut. Damon chuckled lowly before kicking the door open, leaving it just barely hanging on its hinges. Bonnie had backed up just far enough to miss being hit by any of the debris.

Once the initial shock and fear of seeing Damon on her porch faded, she smirked and leaned against the wall with relaxed confidence. "What are you going to do now? You're not invited in."

Disliking her change in attitude, Damon was quick to give her a reason to fear him. "That's why you'll come out here," he said, grinning as she scoffed at him. Damon gave a subtle nod to Stefan, who, with Caroline in his arms, had been hiding behind the porch. He obliged and dragged her body to where Bonnie could see her.

"What have you done to her?" she cried, acting before thinking as she stepped past the house's threshold.

"Nothing compared to what we're going to do to you," Damon whispered in her ear before wrapping an arm around her neck and vanishing into the night.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean, Finn awoke with a foreign feeling of happiness. For the first time since the vampires took over, he had a reason to smile. He would be the one to help their mother finally put an end to this madness.<p>

"Fantastic morning, isn't it sister?" he asked.

Rebekah, who had been mixing blood into her coffee, froze and turned to face him with a suspicious expression. "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?" she deadpanned.

Finn tried not to take offense to the fact that evidently it was so wrong for him to be cheerful. "It's still me, don't you worry. Let's just say that I had a really peaceful rest last night."

"That's good to hear," Klaus said, entering the kitchen, "because you're going to need all your strength."

"For what?" Rebekah asked. "What's going on, Nik?"

"Kol has compromised the plan. He stole the doppelganger from Elijah, and I haven't heard from Kol or Elijah since."

"Clearly, you know what we have to do," Finn declared. When his siblings responded with that same confused stare, he said, "We have to go to America and get the girl ourselves."

Klaus smirked. "I don't know how I feel about your sudden optimism, but you, my brother, make an excellent point."

Rebekah pouted. "Why is that when _I_ suggested that, you shot me down?"

"Because you're still going to be staying here, sister. Someone has to guard the castle while we're gone."

She slammed the mug down on the counter, which caused thick globs of bloody coffee to seep from the cracks. "No, I refuse to sit here while you lot get to have all the fun!"

Klaus took two steps toward her and retrieved one of the portable white oak daggers from his back pocket. "Either you stay here and do as I ask or I will not hesitate to shove this dagger straight through your heart to silence your incessant whining. Do you understand?"

Knowing how awful life as a daggered vampire was, Rebekah had no choice but to back down – at least for now. Besides, Klaus was unwise to think that she wouldn't leave the moment they reached the airport.

* * *

><p>Caroline had gained a small amount of consciousness during the ordeal at Bonnie's house, but she didn't fully come to until they had all returned to the Salvatore mansion.<p>

"What the hell…happened?" she murmured as her eyes adjusted to the surprisingly lavish surroundings.

"We needed your err _help_ to get Bonnie Bennett out of the house," Stefan answered, cautiously approaching her.

"Finally, someone who agrees with me. That girl needs to get out!" When she turned around and came face to face with Stefan, her look of excitement quickly transformed to that of dread. "Oh my god, my mom was right," she whispered.

Stefan held his hands up defensively, hoping she'd calm down. "No, don't worry, Caroline. Everything's going to be fine. Damon and I, we just need Bonnie to do a spell so that we can find Elena."

"Why do you need to find her?"

"So that she can be sacrificed on an altar of blood, thus making me the ruler of all vampires," Damon sneered, sneaking up and standing directly behind her.

Caroline let out a shattering scream as she dropped to her knees and all but curled into a fetal position. Elena was going to die. So would her and Bonnie, most likely.

"Don't listen to him, Caroline," Bonnie said calmly. "He's failed two times already in just a couple days."

"Would you just stop your jabbering and do the damn spell," Damon said, shooting her a deadly warning gaze.

Despite the tension present in the room, Bonnie closed her eyes and focused on the spell. She didn't have much to work with – just some strands of Elena's clothes and tattered bits of her bloody clothes from the struggle with the werewolf. Even so, the spell was working. A glowing dot formed on the map of Virginia and stopped at an all too familiar location.

"That can't be right," Bonnie said, staring at the dot.

"Where does it place her?" Stefan asked.

"According to the map, Elena's at her own house."

* * *

><p>Elena's thoughts were dashing all over the place. She couldn't look away from the monstrous vampire currently holding her brother in a chokehold, yet she was also trying to figure out a way to get Alaric and Jenna free, somehow before Kol would kill Jeremy. Kol could tell that he was losing Elena's attention, so he decided to regain it.<p>

"Since I get the feeling you'll be joining the legion of the undead soon enough, I think it would be best for you to acclimate to the wonderful taste of human blood."

Before Elena could protest or question what he meant, Kol had bitten into Jeremy's neck with relentless and unnecessary force. He only drew enough blood to get a mouthful before tossing Jeremy's semi-unconscious body to the ground and turning to face Elena, who gasped at the sight of his bloody, evil face.

Using his inhuman speed, Kol reached Elena and pulled her into a tight embrace. She could hardly breathe, both from the crushing force he was using to keep her in place and from the horror of seeing Jeremy's blood leaking from Kol's mouth. Elena's heart all but stopped when she realized he was pulling her in for a kiss. She tried to fight him, but it was as if she was pushing her back up against a wall – she simply couldn't move it. His lips brushed across hers, and, naturally, she refused to open them. His words resonated in her mind and she was quick to realize he only wanted to get the blood into her mouth.

One sharp tug of her hair caused Elena to accidently open her mouth to groan in pain. Kol seized his opportunity and let Jeremy's blood, albeit watered down by now, flow into Elena's mouth. He got momentarily caught up in the moment, though, closing his eyes…cupping her face in his hands…sliding his tongue around her mouth. Realizing what he was doing, he pulled away suddenly. Disgust was easily replaced with amusement as he watched Elena gag on the taste and the experience.

He bent down so that he was eye level with her. "Trust me, darling. Once you transition, you won't be able to get enough of it."

Elena used the back of her hand to wipe away the blood and spit. "Go to hell," she snarled.

* * *

><p>Elijah, the eldest sibling in the Original family, could have easily chased after Kol and retrieved Elena, could have sneaked up behind him, snapped his neck and tore Elena from his temporarily dead brother's hands. But he <em>chose<em> not to. When he called Klaus to let him know of his failure to secure Elena, Klaus commented on the uncharacteristic amount of stupidity Elijah demonstrated, but he could care less.

Deep down, he knew this plan was doomed to fail. He, like many other vampires, seemed to be plagued with weakness when it came to the Petrova doppelganger. As the night began to fade into morning, Elijah decided it would be best to track down Kol, if only to keep him from killing Elena. Kol's intentions were surely far from pure.

However, before he could begin his trek through the woods, his phone rang endlessly, despite his attempts to silence the device. "What is it now, Niklaus?" he barked.

"There's been a change of plans, brother. After a strangely optimistic input from Finn, I've decided to journey to Mystic Falls and perform the ritual there, right in front of Damon's face."

Elijah nearly dropped the phone. Nothing was making sense any more. Finn contributing to their quest for the completion of the sacrifice; Klaus willing to leave his own empire behind to come here and do the ritual. Why didn't he simply do that in the first place, instead of allowing this foolish chase to come to be?

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? You realize Damon will have the – what's the phrase – home field advantage."

"Elijah, this isn't some sort of sporting match. It makes perfect sense to perform the ritual there. Damon already has everything – the werewolf, the vampire, the moonstone. He just can't seem to catch a break with our crafty little Petrova doppelganger."

"How soon will you be here?"

"Tomorrow."

Then it was decided. Elijah needed to find Elena and get her to safety.

* * *

><p>Damon, Stefan, Caroline and Bonnie, upon finding Elena's surprisingly safe location, decided to go to her house and find out what exactly was going on. Stefan didn't say it aloud, but he was starting to think that maybe Kol was different from the rest of the Mikaelson family. Maybe he truly wanted to save Elena from her fate.<p>

Bonnie, who had been driving, parked the car a couple houses down from the Gilbert residence. While everyone else seemed eager to see Elena again, Bonnie couldn't help but feel skeptical, like something wasn't quite right here.

Once they all got out of the car, Damon took the lead and crept over to the house. The first thing he noticed was the focus of illumination in the backyard. Something was definitely going on here, he decided. They all walked to the fence, but were unable to get a good view.

"Now what are we supposed to do?" Caroline whispered.

"Get what we came here for," Damon replied, unlatching the gate and storming into the yard.

* * *

><p>Despite their attempts at subtlety, Kol heard them from the moment they pulled onto the street. Kol had expected an interruption from either his brother or the supposedly all-powerful vampire lord, but was surprised at how long it had taken someone to find them.<p>

Elena had gone to her brother's side, cradling his head in her lap as he bleed out onto her jeans.

"It would appear that we have some visitors," Kol said, smirking as Elena's head snapped up to look around.

"So you're going to turn me over to Klaus, after all?" she said softly.

Kol frowned, wondering why she would think that when he'd told her he was no longer on the same team as his half-brother. "Don't you understand that I'm trying to help you escape his foolish plans?"

"Becoming a vampire isn't the answer. Doing this," she paused, gesturing to her family, "isn't the answer. All you've done is hurt me."

He crouched down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, all while masking his face with a look of sympathy. "Why don't you let me start by healing your brother?"

That seemed to change her attitude as she turned toward him with pleading eyes. He bit into his wrist and reached for Jeremy. But as the intruding footsteps got closer, he decided to give them a bit of a welcoming surprise.

Kol grabbed Elena's head and shoved his wrist up against her mouth. As she struggled against his grip, he whispered, "I'm going to make sure that Damon kills you. Then no one will be able to hurt you again."

* * *

><p>Does Kol really care about Elena or is this all another part of his game? What will Damon do when he sees that Kol has fed his blood to Elena? Can Elijah beat Klaus to finding her? All these questions and more will be answered in the next chapter!<p>

Please **review! **My biggest concerns are focusing too much on these Kolena interactions. Trust me, now that Damon's found Elena the focus will return to Delena, but I have really enjoyed writing these scenes ;)

And as always, thank you for reading!

XoXo Amber


	7. Allies and Enemies

**Renaissance **

By: Darkest Ember

_Chapter 7: Allies and Enemies _

* * *

><p>Stefan cursed under his breath as Damon stalked into the Gilbert's backyard, spitting off demands of returning <em>his <em>doppelganger while listing all the ways he was going to make 'you over-aged Mikaelsons' pay. When would he learn that charging into a heated situation never ended well? Before he followed his headstrong brother, Stefan acknowledged the two semi-terrified girls standing behind him.

"I need you two to stay here until we get Elena."

"Are you kidding?" Caroline gasped. "That's our friend in there. You can't expect us to just stand here and watch!"

Bonnie agreed with Caroline as her pleading eyes locked on Stefan. "You know I could help. Maybe distract Kol with an aneurism or something."

The moment an agitated sigh left Stefan's lips, they knew he had conceded. "Fine, you can come along, but we need a plan first."

Stefan scanned the yard and was surprised by what he saw. Two people were strung up hanging from the tree and a boy was lying on the ground, practically bleeding to death. Since Damon was already dealing with the deranged vampire responsible for all this, it was obvious that the three of them needed to save the humans. Taking control of the situation, he began issuing commands.

Once they agreed on a plan of action, Caroline sneaked through the Gilbert house to the other side of the yard and out of the warring vampires' sights. She'd seen the scene from a distance when she'd been standing with Stefan and Bonnie, but upon approaching Alaric and Jenna, she couldn't help but gasp loudly in horrified shock. It took her a moment to take it all in, but once she came to her senses, she stepped on an extra milk crate and carefully removed the rope.

"Oh my God, Mr. Saltzman…Jenna…are you alright?" she asked as she helped their strained bodies step down.

Through gasps for breath, Jenna thanked her and gladly accepted her offer to help her walk over to the house. Alaric stayed behind, initially concerned when he saw another vampire approach Jeremy. Just when he considered charging forward with a pointed twig in hand, he realized that this vampire – the other Salvatore brother – was saving Jeremy.

Alaric took stumbled steps toward Stefan and gripped him by the collar once he was done giving Jeremy blood. "Save Elena," he gritted out.

All Stefan wanted to do was save Elena, but the extent to which he could save her was unknown. Would he just save her from Kol? Or could he defy his brother and save her whole life from ending far too soon?

He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Kol's hold on Elena remained, which caused Damon's enraged expression to deepen. Something told Stefan that when Damon gets Elena back, he's never going to let her out of his sight. Not until he kills her himself.

* * *

><p>Pleased with his conniving work on his mother's behalf, Finn decided to enjoy the rest of the day. After watching some documentaries on the History Channel, he found himself drifting asleep, imagining what the world was like during all those years he rotted in that coffin.<p>

His imagined version of the American Revolution suddenly morphed into an image of Esther, looking far from pleased. "Why hasn't Niklaus left yet?" she demanded.

"Mother!" he exclaimed, startled by the change in mental scenery. "His flight is leaving later today. I don't understand what the hurry is."

Esther sighed, wishing her son understood the witchy aspect of the situation. "If one of those vampires doesn't perform the ritual within 48 hours, then we will have to wait until the next full moon. The longer it is prolonged, the quicker this world will spiral into a state that is beyond saving."

"What are you talking about?"

"As it stands, there are more vampires than humans living on earth. Soon the blood supply will vanish, creating many starving, desperate vampires. Do you understand why this ritual must be completed _now_?"

"Yes, I understand. Once the doppelganger dies, all of us will die."

Esther nodded with a curt smile. "Once the vampires are gone, the humans will thrive once more."

"I won't let you down, mother."

Although Finn had conversed with his mother in a dreamlike state, his voice carried over into reality. Rebekah heard every single word.

* * *

><p>Kol and Damon exchanged heated glares as Kol's grip on Elena tightened. "You know," he taunted, "for someone trying to become the ultimate vampire lord, it took you <em>such<em> a long time to find us."

Damon easily laughed off the insult as he took a couple steps closer. "I didn't think you'd be so obvious. If I were you, I would've gotten the hell out of this town. Now, you're just going to die."

He lunged forward, fangs barred and murderous intent clouding his eyes. Elena cried out as Kol pulled her arm back into an unnatural position, using her as a human shield. He clicked his tongue in mock disappointment. "Ah, ah, ah. Wouldn't want to hurt the precious doppelganger before the ritual."

Damon growled, stopping in his tracks. "Let her go."

"You might want to hear me out first," he said, dipping his head closer to Elena's neck, "or else I might get hungry. And I'm not particularly known for controlling my appetite – AHHH."

Any appearance of confidence Kol had shown before was replaced with confusion. Although the sudden pain would vanish as quickly as it arrived, it still felt as though his skull was being split with a hammer. By the time he located the witch responsible, hiding in the bushes, he'd already lost his hold on Elena, who was now standing between him and Damon.

A satisfied smirk crept across Damon's lips as he glanced over his shoulder. "What do ya know, the Bennett witch _can_ be helpful after all." Before losing his opportunity, he snatched Elena's arm in a bruising grip.

Kol didn't seem to share in Damon's appreciation. Once he was sure the stream of anuerisms had stopped, he sped over to where Bonnie was hiding and plucked her from the bushes, leading her back to the group by tugging on a handful of hair. He sped right past Damon and Elena and slammed Bonnie into the tree trunk.

"That was a big mistake," he snarled.

Elena's eyes went wide with horror as she put all her strength into her attempts to free herself from Damon's grip. This night had already been so horrifying, but she refused to stand there and watch one of her best friends die for her.

"You have to let me go," she gritted through struggles. "Without Bonnie, I'm assuming it would've taken you _much_ longer to find me."

She could feel his muscles tense around her and began fearing that perhaps teasing, even in the lightest sense, would forever be a mistake around him.

Damon rolled his eyes, but silently admitted that he wouldn't have been able to retrieve Elena without Bonnie's help. "There really isn't any point in tormenting her," he said flatly. "You've already lost. Go back home to your tea parties…or whatever."

Keeping his hand wrapped firmly around Bonnie's throat, Kol gave Damon a sideglance as he addressed him. "I don't think I've lost anything," he said calmly. "Aren't you at all curious as to why I set up this whole charade in the first place? Don't you find it odd that I'd steal the stolen doppelganger from my own brother?"

Damon's disgruntled expression showed a brief sign of intrigue before settling into indifference. "It's really not that surprising, given how dysfunctional your family is."

It was evident that Damon's remark stung a little, but Kol wasn't deterred. In fact, he played on that detail to weasel his way into Damon's head. "That's exactly right. They _are _dysfunctional, hence why I'm here. I wanted to make sure that if someone must complete the ritual, it would be you."

Surprised by Kol's response, Damon narrowed his eyes toward the Original, while ignoring Elena's pleading and trembling. Damon laughed flatly. "Let me get this straight. You want me to defeat your own brother?"  
>"Half-brother, really. Besides, I'm certain word of my betrayal has already reached him. "<p>

"Whatever," Damon said, rolling his eyes impatiently. "If you really want to help me, then you can start by leaving. I don't need your help."

Elena was both relieved and panicked when Kol took a few steps away from Bonnie and held his hands up in defense. _If Kol manages to get into Damon's head, then the ritual really will happen tomorrow, and I'll be a vampire_, she thought. Refusing to settle for her fate, she managed to distance herself from Damon and shoot him a harsh, judgmental stare.

"Are you seriously going to do what he says? He's your _enemy_. He can't be trusted."

"Look, I know how strange this might seem, but you have to listen to me, Damon. I happen to know that you have all the components needed for the ritual. Now there's nothing holding you back. Don't deny yourself what's rightfully yours."

The pace at which Damon's lips curled upward indicated that Kol's words had already crawled into his brain and began to influence his thought process. "You're absolutely right. We shouldn't be wasting time here anymore."

Elena's struggling ceased. She bemoaned in disbelief. Something about that sound she made – so full of despair – and the way her heartbeat dipped to a low, depressed rate made it difficult for Kol to enjoy this moment. _Why can't she realize that in the end, I'm saving her…forcing her to embrace life, rather than barely exist in it? _

"I have one more suggestion, if you'll hear me," he said, his voice losing that edge of arrogance and confidence she was so used to hearing. Kol had already noticed that most of the humans had been escorted inside, leaving Stefan to tend to the injured boy. "Why don't you let Elena spend her last night with family and friends?"

While Elena's narrowed eyes filled with suspicion and the smallest shred of hope, Damon snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, so she can plot her umpteenth escape plan? I don't think so."

"That's why you have leverage to ensure she won't do anything stupid," he said, nodding toward Jeremy.

That threw Elena off the tracks of this emotional roller coaster he's forced her to ride. How dare he come into her home, terrify her family, and think he can control her future? Now, he thought she'd willingly let her brother be put in more danger for her own benefit? "Forget it, Kol," she said, thrilled to hear her voice without any quivering. "I'm not putting Jeremy in any more danger. Just take me now." She turned her harsh gaze onto Damon, praying that for once he'll oblige her.

Instead of Damon leaving it at that, his own suspicions started manifesting. He could tell, just as Kol could, that Elena cared more about her loved ones than herself. Why _wouldn't_ she want to spend her last day alive with them? Unless she was up to something already. Damon peered over Elena's shoulder at Stefan. "Grab him," he said. "You can go wherever you want in the city limits of Mystic Falls. But if you're not back here by noon tomorrow, I'll rip his head off and leave it waiting for you on the porch."

Seeing the somewhat satisfied look on Kol's face sent Elena into hysterics. She gripped the sleeve of Damon's jacket. "_Please_ don't do this. I don't want it! Just let me go with you."

"I'm only allowing this for your benefit," Damon replied, yanking his arm out of her grasp. "Consider yourself lucky. Katherine never got this opportunity."

Although there were countless pleas still begging to be used on her tongue, Damon's statement successfully confused her, causing her to stand stuck in place as Stefan led Jeremy out the back gate with Damon and Kol behind him. _Who's Katherine?_ She wondered, completely lost in thought until Bonnie stumbled over and pulled her into a warm, though teary-eyed embrace.

* * *

><p>Inside the Gilbert house, while the negociations were happening outside, Caroline was preparing ice packs to help with the swelling and bruising around Alaric and Jenna's necks. Jenna was curled up on the couch with her knees pulled up against her chest. Her body racked with sobs as tears continued leaking from the corners of her eyes.<p>

Everyone's heads whipped toward the patio doors when they opened and Bonnie and Elena came inside. Jenna leapt from the couch and hugged Elena. "Where did they go?" she asked. "Wait…where's Jeremy?"

Elena pulled away and bitterly smiled through tears. "They took him as insurance. I get to stay here tonight, and as long as I got back to them tomorrow, they'll let Jeremy go."

"Why did Kol even suggest this? He didn't strike me as the compassionate type," Bonnie murmured, rubbing her sore shoulders.

"He's psychotic!" Elena replied, flopping down on the couch. "He tortured my family and then, just before you guys arrived, he shoved some of his blood down my throat. He wants Damon to perform the ritual tomorrow night so that when he kills me, I'll come back as a vampire."

Alaric, who had been standing by the window to make sure no one would be coming back, turned to face the group of worried women. "There has to be a way around this," he said softly. "We've been given a chance to fight back…we shouldn't waste it."

"The minute Damon suspects something, he'll kill Jeremy," Elena countered.

"So that's it?" Caroline asked. "You're just going to give up?"

"What choice do I have?" she cried. "I…I'd rather be a vampire than watch any of you get hurt."

* * *

><p>Jeremy fell to the unforgiving marble floor with a thud. "What're you going to do with him until tomorrow?" Kol asked, mischief edging its way into his voice.<p>

Stefan shoved his way past Damon and Kol, purposely bumping both their shoulders. "You should just leave him alone. Don't you think he's been through enough tonight?" He shot a particularly accusatory glare at Kol. Stefan didn't trust Kol at all and wondered why Damon was being so uncharacteristically swayed.

Appearing to weigh all his options, Damon remained silent for a minute, just staring at the teenaged human splayed across his floor. His eyes landed on a rather large ring adorning his right hand. "Where did you get that ring?"

"It's a family heirloom," he said, trying to be as vague as possible.

"You know what that ring does, don't you?" _Crap._

"Yeah," he replied, forcing himself to his feet. "It brings me back from the dead."

Damon seemed pleased. He approached Jeremy with a smile and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Tell you what, Jer. For being such a good sport, I'll let you sleep in one of the guest rooms upstairs."

Some lowly vampires in Damon's servitude appeared out of nowhere and offered to escort Jeremy to the bedroom. Stefan exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. After what was planned for tomorrow, he could do without any additional inflictions of misery on this unfortunate Gilbert family.

Feeling that his job as protector was complete, Stefan retired to his own quarters, hoping for a relaxing remainder of the evening. As much as he tried to relax, though, he knew that so long as Kol Mikaelson was in their house, he needed to remain on edge.

On the other hand, Damon felt great. He poured himself a drink and reclined in a leather chair near the roaring fire. Kol stood rigidly with a drink of his own cluctched in hand. "Don't tell me you're going to pass up such an outstanding opportunity with Elena's brother?"

A knowing smirk crept across Damon's face. "It's all part of the game, Kol. Lull him into a false sense of security and then begin the chase."

Upon hearing this, Kol loosened up a little and joined Damon by the fire. Their glasses clinked in a cheers as they contemplated how to go about the night's form of entertainment.

* * *

><p>Boisterous laughter and the occasional sound of shattering glass drifted from the den throughout the rest of the mansion. While some of the resident vampires, like Stefan, cringed from the obnoxiousness, others were pleased to hear Damon doing something other than terrorizing humans or plotting to defeat the Mikaelsons.<p>

Kol mixed blood and bourbon in a glass and watched with amusement as the blood fell straight to the bottom, leaving a trail of diluted crimson wisps behind. The amount of alcohol they'd consumed would've killed a human twice over, yet they were still hardly wasted.

Damon's eyes flew up to the ceiling. "Shhh! Do you hear that? It would seem that Jeremy is having a hard time sleeping." He grinned at his unlikely friend with purely evil intentions dancing in his eyes.

Kol finished the rest of his drink and slammed the glass on the table. "I say we go help the poor lad out." With that, the two headed up the stairs and crept down the hall to Jeremy's room. Kol nudged the door open, though stayed out of sight.

The sound of the door creaking open was enough to cause panic to creep into Jeremy's mind. He'd already been unable to sleep due to his sinking feeling that his safety wasn't guaranteed here, but now…now someone was in the hall. Cautiously, he sat up and leaned against the headboard. Aside from the dim light drifting in from the hallway, the room was pitch black. Even if someone had sneaked into the room, he wouldn't be able to see them.

Retaining the lessons that Alaric had taught him, Jeremy had a supply of vervain darts and small stakes latched to his ankles underneath his jeans. It took a bit longer than usual, but he managed to assemble the dart gun in the dark. Reassured by his weapon, he crept out of bed and approached the door. He didn't see anyone at first, but once he turned to his right he saw Kol speeding toward him. Jeremy took aim and fired two or three times, successfully embedding the darts into Kol's chest and arm. Kol's amusement quickly flared into anger as he ripped the darts out and cursed under his breath.

"Sorry, but if you're trying to kill me, I'm not going to make it so easy for you."

"What makes you think we'd want to kill you?" Damon asked, standing directly behind Jeremy. "We just want to have some fun."

Feeling cornered and growing increasingly concerned with the look of malice on Kol's face, Jeremy spun around and shoved a stake in Damon's leg before bolting for the stairs. The sound of blood pumping in his ears was loud enough to rival their pounding footsteps echoing from behind him. Although it might be worthless to cry for help in a mansion filled with vampires, Jeremy still gave it a shot. "HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!" Upon remembering Stefan healing and defending him, he tried calling out his name, but had yet to receive a response as he rounded a corner and made it past the second floor.

The front door, completely unguarded, was in sight now. He found it hard to believe, but maybe he'd be able to save himself – escape on his own. Using what little energy he had left, he pushed himself forward, jumping over the last five steps and landing with grace on the floor near the door. Just as he was reaching for the doorknob, a hand clamped down on his arm with crushing force.

"Aw, you were _so_ close," Kol taunted, increasing the pressure of his grip. Jeremy's face twisted into pained contortions as he tried to pull his arm away. Kol let him go suddenly, causing him to lose his balance and fall. Damon joined them in the foyer, putting his foot on Jeremy's throat.

"How do you think your sister would feel if she could see you now?" Damon asked.

Jeremy clawed at Damon's leg but wasn't able to get him to lift his foot. "She'd kill you," he gritted out. "Both of you." He glanced between Damon and Kol.

Damon crouched down. "I'd _love_ to see her try."

"This is getting boring," Kol butted in. "Let's just kill him and see how he comes back to life. I've never seen one of those rings in action."

"How have you not seen it before? Aren't you supposed to be a thousand years old?"

Kol rolled his eyes. "Have you forgotten that Klaus had me daggered in a coffin for hundreds of years?"

That seemed to be a satisfactory answer for him. He stepped off Jeremy's throat and pulled him up off the ground. He passed him over to Kol, who shoved him up against the wall. "How should we do it?" he asked.

Damon pulled a bloodied stake – the one Jeremy had used – out of his pocket and twirled it between his fingers. "Let's use this." Before there could be any more deliberation or consideration, Damon shoved Kol aside and jammed the stake into Jeremy's throat. The stake broke through Jeremy's esophagus and came out on the other side of his neck. Jeremy's eyes widened as he choked on blood and helplessly tried to suck in air.

Within a few short minutes, Jeremy was dead, pinned to the wall with blood still pouring out from both sides of the wound. The wall was covered in the crimson substance, and Jeremy's clothes soaked it up like a sponge.

Stefan came barreling down the stairs, hoping to break up whatever quarrel had erupted, but was horrified to find that he was much too late. "What the hell is wrong with you two?" he growled.

"We're just having a bit of fun," Kol shrugged.

"Let me guess, this was all _your _idea."

"It was a mutual effort," Damon said. "What's the big deal, Stef?"

"It's already bad enough that you're going to be using Elena for your own selfish gains tomorrow, but to continue torturing her family…it's not right."

Damon's eyes darkened as he advanced on Stefan. "That's kind of ironic coming from you. What about all _you've_ done to her family?"

The accusing, disgusted look on Stefan's face withered to guilty resignation. "I'm done with this. If he's staying here," he said nodding toward Kol, "then I'm not." Stefan sidestepped the expanding puddle of Jeremy's blood and stormed out the front door.

After Stefan's dramatic exit, Damon walked over to Jeremy, ripped the stake from his throat and let his body fall to the floor in a slump. A few more minutes passed before he awoke, desperately gasping for air and looking bewildered. The hole in this throat had disappeared, leaving behind nothing but blood stains and bruises.

* * *

><p>The next morning…<p>

Sunlight filtered into Elena's room as she awoke without the assistance of an alarm. To be honest, she was surprised she'd managed to fall asleep at all. Her body was still tense, and the back of her eyes throbbed from all the tears she'd cried into her pillow. It didn't help that she could hear everyone downstairs _still _trying to find a way around her self sacrifice late into the night.

Of course she appreciated their dedication, but if they kept this up, they were going to get themselves killed. Not knowing when to expect Damon, she forced herself out of bed and scanned the clothes hanging in her closet. _Does it even matter what I pick_? She thought with a bitter laugh.

Caroline was the first to stir upon hearing the creaking floorboards. "Morning, Care," Elena said, sitting down next to her.

She grumbled a response, smiling as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. But then she sprung upright with a horrified expression. "Morning?! Oh God, my mom doesn't know that I left last night. I…I have to get going." She scrambled to her feet and pulled Elena into a quick hug. "Look, I don't know what's going to happen tonight or if I'll be able to be here for you, but you better not go down without a fight!"

Shortly after Caroline's animated awakening, everyone else started to wake up. Much to Elena's relief, no one touched on the "let's stop the sacrifice" topic. In fact, the atmosphere was noticeablely tranquil, all things considered. Jenna shared funny stories about when she'd babysit Elena and Jeremy. Alaric discussed his awkward college years at Duke. The reminiscing lifted Elena's spirits and reminded her of all the amazing people still left in her life, despite the one's she'd already lost.

The shrill sound of the doorbell ringing caused an immediate silence to settle in. Alaric cocked a gun loaded with wooden bullets and peered out the window. "It's just the pizza guy," he said, a woosh of relief in his voice.

He opened the door with a smile, but that quickly vanished when he saw who was standing on the porch. Dressed in the Domino's Pizza uniform, Kol grinned. "I've got a special delievery for Miss Elena Gilbert."

Upon hearing that awfully familiar voice, Elena ran to the door just in time to see Kol pull Jeremy up the porch by the collar of his shirt. "What, are you doing Damon's dirty work now? He can't even come get me himself?"

Kol shrugged off her insult with indifference. "He had to go deal with his meddlesome brother or something. So, shall we continue with the exchange?"

Jeremy's bruised arm and bloodied clothes didn't go unnoticed. She lunged forward and pulled him away from Kol. "What the hell did you do to him?" she growled.

"They _killed_ me," Jeremy sputtered. He explained how the ring worked…how any signs that he'd been stabbed vanished when he came back to life.

Kol rolled his eyes. "Now that we've got all the dramatics out of the way, let's get going, darling." He reached for Elena's arm but she dodged.

"I don't care what you say. Hurting my brother was not part of this arrangement. I'm not going with you."

Kol sighed. He tried to make this as painless as possible, but clearly Elena enjoyed living her life in constant struggle. Alaric, tired of watching this going back and forth, aimed the gun at Kol's head and demanded that he leave. It was obvious that Kol didn't take the threat seriously. "Go ahead," he cheered. "Shoot me. I need a good reason to kill someone."

Alaric's outstretched arms wavered slightly, but he maintained his aim once he pulled the trigger. The bullet embedded itself in his neck, effectively puncturing the jugular. Kol stood still, shock settling in. But then in a flash, his eyes held a murderous gleam as he plucked the bullet from his flesh. Elena knew that he was going to retaliate, so she leaped into his line of attack. She smirked as he stumbled to a stop mere inches in front of her.

She looked up at him with confidence she didn't know she possessed. "I'm ready to go now," she said pleasantly. "Watching you bleed made me feel a little better."

Kol scowled as he harshly grabbed her elbow. "If you're not careful," he said lowly, "I'll shove more of my blood down your throat."

As he lead her toward the door, she realized that he wanted to leave right in that very moment. She began struggling against his grip, but it was unrelenting. Forced to continue walking out the door, she helplessly glanced over her shoulder and watched as her family… her house…her life as she knew it got further and further away.

He didn't even let her say goodbye.

Elena gets feisty with him and Damon almost flirts with her before tossing her in a holding cell in the dungeons, conveniently located next to Katherine, who fills her mind with ideas of escape.

* * *

><p>So...there was kind of a lot going on in this chapter. I wanted to include more, but it would've been way too long . I know it's been a while since there's been some Delena action, but trust me, that will happen in the next update.<p>

Some things to ponder until then: What did Stefan do to the Gilberts? Will Elena and Katherine get a chance to meet before the ritual? Can Rebekah get to Mystic Falls before Klaus? What's Elijah been up to all this time?

Comments would be greatly appreciated! Regardless, thanks for taking time to read my story :)

XoXo Amber


	8. Chivalry Is Dead

**Renaissance**

By: Darkest Ember

_Chapter 8: Chivalry Is Dead _

* * *

><p>Stefan was so disgusted with his brother that he ended up barhopping for most of the night. When he ran out of places to go, he stumbled through town by his lonesome. Most vampires already returned to their homes for now. Even as morning turned to midday, hardly any humans roamed the streets.<p>

Which was good, because had Stefan seen a particularly tasty-looking human, he probably would've ripped his or her throat out, if only for a release.

But after an hour or so of relative solitude, he heard the sound of heels clicking along the pavement. The lack of heartbeat indicated, to Stefan's slight disappointment, that it was a vampire. When he glanced across the street to see who it was, all he saw was blonde hair. Interested in where she could be going in a hurry, he followed her into an alleyway.

There were a few puddles on the ground and some half-filled dumpsters in this alley. He rolled his eyes and scoffed, figuring that she must've slipped into one of the surrounding buildings. However, when he turned to leave, she was standing directly behind him. Her eyes were as black as the night – a sharp contrast to her blonde hair and pale skin. The pointed edges of her fangs peeked out between her lips.

Stefan was beyond willing to fight with her. A fight with another vampire would make a far better release than draining some innocent human. He lunged for her, but stopped himself last minute. There was something _so_ familiar about her. As if on cue, memories from his time as a residential ripper in the '20s bombarded his mind. _Rebekah_…_Klaus's sister,_ he realized. He hadn't seen her since that night at the club. The night a vampire hunter showed up with a specific interest in her and her brother.

In the midst of the vampires' rise to power and the escalating feud between Damon and Klaus, Stefan focused only on the present and future. Now, it seemed far more useful to recall the time he spent befriending some of the Mikaleson family.

As it turned out, it didn't take Rebekah too long to come to the same conclusion. Though her eyes were still black and her fangs still exposed, her expression somehow looked considerably less menacing now. "Stefan, is that you?" she asked.

He nodded and then smiled. "Hey, Rebekah."

Moving at an almost impossibly fast speed, even by his standards, Rebekah leapt into his arms and pulled him into a much-needed hug. "It's so good to see you," she said, resting her head on his chest. As much as she would've loved to catch up with him, it didn't take her long to remember why she was there in the first place. "Is there somewhere private we can talk?"

Stefan would've considered the street private enough, with just an occasional person passing by every couple minutes. After all, his home was off limits for obvious reasons. The serious look on Rebekah's face as she continued glancing over her shoulder with an air of paranoia convinced him to think a little harder. Regrettably, he only had one place to go.

"Follow me," he said, grabbing her hand as he sped off toward the Gilbert house.

* * *

><p>"Special delivery," Kol declared, still maintaining his childish ruse as a pizza driver. Growing tired of dealing with Elena's insistent struggling, he suddenly let her go when they were in the foyer. He watched with unshielded amusement as she fell to the floor and scraped her elbow.<p>

"Did you take the scenic route back?" Damon joked, coming out of the parlor with a glass of whiskey in hand.

Kol shrugged and leaned against a wooden pillar near the staircase. "Our dear doppelganger put up a fight before I was able to get her out the door."

Damon looked down at Elena, who was still on the floor, with a disapproving look. "That wasn't part of the deal, now was it?"

"Neither was you _killing_ my brother," she spat.

"It's not my fault he happened to be wearing a relic that I'd never seen before. Think of it as a science experiment – a successful science experiment!"

"You don't just toy with people's lives like that. We're not here for your entertainment!" she said, getting up off the ground. She closed the distance between them, intending to continue her rant, but became too angered by his arrogant, uncaring smirk. Since she couldn't seem to form words scathing enough to get through to him, she settled for something more physical.

It seemed as if the entire household stood still the moment her flesh connected with his. The _smack_ resounded throughout the rotund foyer and surely reached the upper levels of the mansion. Even though his head successfully whipped to the side, Elena was having a hard time enjoying the moment. It bothered her that Damon didn't even try to block her attack, despite being perfectly capable. And then there was the murderous gleam that lit his already glacial eyes when he turned to address her.

Black veins crawled out under his eyes. She was terrified by his appearance that she didn't see him reach out. Using a bruising grip, he pulled her into his chest and spun her around so that her back was right up against him.

"If you'll excuse us, Kol, I think Elena needs to learn a little lesson," Damon said in a disturbingly cheery voice.

Hating herself for doing so, she looked at Kol with pleading eyes, silently begging for him not to go. Kol met her gaze directly, but didn't show any signs of compliance. "As it turns out, I actually have a few things to do in town. It's been far too long since I've terrorized humans. Give me a call when you're ready to prepare for the sacrifice," he said, waving over his shoulder as he left.

She didn't even get enough time to properly despise him because Damon was dragging her toward a spiral staircase leading into the dungeon. She was sure that absolutely nothing good could come from there. Seeing weapons used for torture of all species pinned to the walls made her stomach churn at a violent rate.

* * *

><p>It took several hours to clean up all the blood and destruction left behind in the wake of Kol and Damon's attack on the Gilbert residence. Jeremy, though still beaten up, seemed to be doing all right for someone who'd just come back from the dead. Although everyone was in various states of disarray, one thing was certain – they needed to stop Damon at all costs.<p>

"Bonnie, Caroline, and Sherriff Forbes are on their way over," Jeremy said, after hanging up the phone and joining Jenna and Alaric in the living room.

An air of solemnity filled the room as they retreated to their own silent reveries – sorting the impossible from the crazy-enough-it-might-work ideas. Their heads shot up the moment the doorbell rang. "There's no way they got here that fast," Jenna murmured, eyeing the front door skeptically.

Alaric grabbed a crossbow and walked over to the door.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, looking between Stefan and Rebekah.

Stefan dodged eye contact as he tried to figure out the best thing to say. "We…we needed a private place to talk."

Alaric laughed and shook his head. "You can handle your personal affairs somewhere else." He went to close the door, but Stefan shoved a hand in front of the door.

"It has to do with the sacrifice," Rebekah chimed in. "I have information that could prevent all of it from happening."

With a heavy sigh and a look filled with doubt, Alaric stepped aside and invited both vampires inside. "Now, talk," he said, still holding the crossbow, but not aiming it.

Rebekah had hoped for a more private discussion. She took in her surroundings and could still smell faint traces of blood – human and vampire alike. "What happened here?" she asked, ignoring Alaric as she passed through the room.

"We were attacked," Jenna said flatly. "Some crazy vampire named Kol brought Elena home and then tortured all of us. He didn't stop until Damon showed up."

"Now two sadistic vampires have my sister," Jeremy said. "They're going to do the sacrifice tonight."

Rebekah knew it was an inappropriate time to laugh, but she couldn't contain herself. Shortly after her spurt of giggles, a stake flew in her direction. She caught it with ease and snapped it like a twig. "Forgive me," she said, holding her hands out in a defensive manner. "You don't understand. Kol would never work alongside Damon… He cares only for himself."

"And how would you know that?" Alaric asked.

"Kol is one of my brothers. I'm from the family of Originals."

"You're related to him…and you expect us to trust you?" Jeremy said incredulously, still bitter from the recent chain of events.

"She isn't like him or Klaus," Stefan said, finally stepping into the conversation. He turned to face her, taking one of her hands into both of his. "Go ahead and tell us what you know."

Rebekah looked at all their disgruntled faces and was almost tempted to just leave with Stefan and risk speaking in public anyway. _How dare these humans act this way toward me? I'm not responsible for my family's faults, _she thought sulkily.

"Fine," she said in a cool tone. "Breaking the curse will not grant the vampire ultimate leadership, like my brother and Damon think. If either one of them performs the sacrifice, it will wipe out the entire vampire species."

"And that's a _bad_ thing?" Jeremy sneered.

Ignoring his comment, she continued, "I agree that things have gotten out of control in the last few years, but we can change. Killing all of us isn't the answer."

Alaric pinched the bridge of his nose. He was having a difficult time buying her story. "And how exactly is it that you know this big secret, yet neither of the biggest vampires on either side of the Atlantic Ocean know?"

Rebekah chewed her bottom lip. Clearly they didn't believe much of what she's already said. What would they possibly think when she told them her dead mother visited her species-loathing brother and told him to ensure that the ritual happens to eradicate all vampires? Sadly, it sounded crazy even in her own head.

Seeing the discomfort displayed on Rebekah's face, Stefan tried to shift the conversation. "Does it really matter? Even if it weren't true, we all know that Damon and Klaus would abandon this mission if it meant killing all vampires."

Although this made sense to Alaric, Jenna, and Jeremy, Rebekah still looked hesitant. They didn't know that Klaus was more than just a vampire. They didn't know that Klaus probably _would_ kill all vampires so that he could start a new race of hybrids.

* * *

><p>Kol parked his rental car on the shoulder of the road before heading into the woods. It took him a few seconds to speed through the rough terrain and arrive at the little shack nestled near the falls. Without bothering to knock, he let himself inside. The fireplace was alive with huge flames that sent warmth all the way to where Kol was standing. A hand holding a wine glass filled with thick crimson substance was propped over the side of an armchair near the hearth.<p>

"Must you always be so dramatic, brother?" Kol asked, strolling over to the chair.

Elijah rolled the contents of the glass a few times before drinking the rest of it. "That's rather amusing, coming from you," he said, standing up to face him. "I've heard about your little party at the Gilbert house. Have you gone mad?"

"Please. That was nothing compared to what I used to do back in the day. Don't you remember – stringing bodies up in the street as blood dripped from their corpses?" Elijah did his best not to cringe with disgust. He could be cruel and calculating when necessary, but it seemed as though his younger brother was like that at all times.

"Her family had been grieving her disappearance, no doubt. The last thing they deserved was to be used for your sadistic pleasures."

Kol ran his finger along the dusty mantle and nodded. "Perhaps I did take things a bit far, but what you don't seem to realize is that come midnight, once the ritual is finished, they'll all be thanking me."

"You have lost your mind," Elijah sighed. "In the short time I spent with the girl, I could tell that she is innocent. She doesn't deserve this fate so harshly assigned to her."

"Must I spell everything out for you? I have ensured that she will live! Of course, she'll have to die first, but then she'll be given the gift of immortality."

Elijah spun around and shoved him against the wall, wrapping a hand around his throat. "Tell me you didn't feed her your blood. Tell me that's not your grand scheme."

Despite the chokehold, Kol grinned. It was a rare sight to see Elijah so passionately angered like this. "Why do you care so much what happens to her?" he asked in a strained voice. "Surely it must be something more than her 'innocence.'"

A low growl filled with frustration and defeat rumbled softly in Elijah's chest as he dropped his brother and returned to his seat by the fire. Protecting such an innocent girl should've been enough of a reason for Elijah's interference, morally speaking. But it was true – he did have additional motives.

"Neither Klaus nor Damon are fit to rule our entire species. Even if Elena wasn't a part of this, I would still make sure that the ritual was unsuccessful."

Kol watched Elijah with interest. This must've been the first time in _centuries_ that the two agreed on not one but two things – Elena should not die and Klaus and Damon did not deserve to rule. Being king of the vampires might be amusing for a week or so, but Kol believed the position would grow tiring after that. He had to admit that Elijah had the annoyingly strong morality to be a king, but he'd never verbalize that detail.

"I assume that even with our common goals you won't consider following my plan?"

"Correct," Elijah replied. "I can assure you – she would not enjoy life as a vampire."

Stepping between Elijah and the fire, Kol said, "If she remains human, lives her happy little life, she'll only continue the Petrova line. If someone doesn't try to sacrifice her again, then they'll just wait around for the next doppelganger. Don't you see? It's an eternal disaster…"

Elijah was alarmed to see hear such seriousness in Kol's voice. He started to doubt his own thoughts on the matter. _How could one human girl have such a strong effect on our family_? He wondered.

* * *

><p>Although Damon was only using a fraction of his actual strength to hold Elena in place as he took her to the dungeon, she still had a difficult time trying to free herself. Her body jerked in every direction as she tried scratching, punching, name-calling, and kicking – all to no avail.<p>

Once they made it downstairs, Damon spun her around so that she was facing him as he backed her up against the wall. He leaned down so that his lips grazed the shell of her ear. "It's such a shame that you'll be spending your last night alive in such a dismal place."

A chilling wave of disgust and sadness rippled across her skin. Due to his unnecessarily close proximity, she could see a vein pulsating in his neck. Smirking, she bent her head a few inches and bit into his flesh with surprising ferocity.

After not receiving a reaction from him, she bit harder and started sucking on the flesh caught between her teeth. Her efforts were rewarded twofold as a soft moan echoed into her ear and the taste of blood registered on her tongue.

The action was meant to anger him, to show that she can fight for herself, but when he turned to look at her, she only saw signs of amusement and perhaps even...arousal? "That," he laughed, "was adorable." He wiped off any excess saliva, and when he pulled his hand away, Elena saw that the almost black mark she'd made was already disappearing underneath layers of healed skin. "Let me show you how it's really done."

Horror at his implication rendered her body motionless as she watched his fangs poke out of his gums. She stumbled through a combination of pleas and apologies, but it didn't stop him. With a hand on each shoulder, he held her in place as his head dipped back down to her neck. Her eyes squeezed shut with fearful anticipation.

When the expected pain and bloodshed didn't come, a rush of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding in blew out of her mouth.

His fangs grazed her skin, leaving behind patches of goose bumps. When he did actually bite her, it was hard enough to break the skin, yet gentle enough to minimize the amount of pain. Once his teeth were securely in place, he started sucking on her skin. The motion allowed concentrated amounts of blood into his mouth. Elena could feel her body slacken as she leaned against the wall for support.

This unexpected combination of pleasure and pain left her vulnerable in his loosened grip. All she could focus on was the wonderful feelings spreading through her nerves. She didn't think about the sacrifice. She didn't remember the hell her life had become in the last 48 hours. She didn't feel consumed with hatred for the vampire race.

When he eventually did retreat from her neck, she could see that he too enjoyed the experience, perhaps a bit more than he anticipated. Small splotches of blood were smeared on his lips, which didn't bother her as much as it probably should.

* * *

><p>After a begrudging alliance formed between Stefan and Rebekah and the humans, they decided to act in two separate parties. Rebekah knew that Klaus would be arriving in Mystic Falls soon, so her and Stefan would be responsible for keeping him away from the Salvatore mansion. Once Bonnie and the others arrived, they would figure out how to stop Damon from performing the ritual.<p>

They spent an hour or so watching for any unusual sightings, which was both easy and boring on the relatively abandoned main street in town. Both knew that it was unlikely that Klaus would be out in the open, but until it got closer to the ritual, they really didn't have any way of drawing him out of hiding.

"I'm parched. Care to share a drink with me?" Rebekah asked as they took a break at the Grill. She eyed the bartender with particular interest.

When Stefan declined, she helped herself to the bar. Upon taking a closer look, she saw that the boy's name was Matt. "Evening, Matt," she grinned.

Matt gave her a polite smile, though she could tell it was forced. "What would you like to drink?" he asked.

Bandages lined his arms all the way up to the sleeve of his work shirt. She licked her lips before ordering a shot of Bloody Jack. Matt grimaced, but got to work preparing her drink. He filled a shot glass halfway with Jack Daniels. Then, he pulled back a band-aid revealing a fairly fresh puncture on his wrist. He poked the wound with a needle and held his bleeding arm over the glass, filling it drop by drop until it was full.

"Thank you _very _much," she said, drinking the delicious shot in one swift movement.

Stefan cocked an eyebrow at her and shook his head. "Are you really that much of a lightweight?" he teased.

"Of course not," she replied.

Stefan turned his attention back to his solitaire game of darts. When he attempted to throw the last one, Rebekah stepped in front of him. "What turned you into such a grump? Don't you remember how wild we used to be?"

"It was a different time…and I was a different person," he said, finding the floor far more interesting to look at than the blonde in front of him.

"Hey," she said softly, reaching up to cup his cheek, "I'm not asking you to go on a murdering spree. I just want to see you happy again…"

When Stefan didn't say anything in response, she took a chance and pecked his lips. She couldn't stand to see such conflicting emotions playing across his face. Stefan tried to keep his mind focused on the many tasks that they needed to do before tonight, but he could feel that focus crumbling the moment he gazed into her eyes. He didn't think she was compelling him, but he did feel something overcome him, something drawing him to her.

He deserved _some_ happiness…

Without allowing for more contemplation, he returned the gesture, deepening it further. Just as his tongue brushed along hers, he felt her body tense up. Concerned, he pulled back and was horrified to see her skin turning gray. Blood was leaking through her shirt near her heart.

She fell into his arms with a dagger sticking out of her back.

"It's been a while, mate," Klaus said with a wicked smirk.

* * *

><p>Noticing that she was still relatively unharmed, Elena took a moment to strategize as Damon licked the blood from his lips. She could only assume that her friends and family would insist on finding a way to prevent the ritual from happening. Perhaps if she kept Damon distracted long enough, that would give them enough time to form a functional plan.<p>

Elena hardly believed that Damon would want to waste the rest of the day talking to her. However, something more physical – like this unusual exchange between them – might be able to maintain his attention. It pained her to have to resort to such...erotic measures, but she needed to do all she could to distract him.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you enjoyed that," Damon said in a breathy voice.

Forcing a sultry smile, Elena wrapped her arms around his neck. "I never knew that vampires could be more than violent…creatures," she said, restraining herself from saying "monsters."

Despite the flicker of anger Elena saw in his eyes, Damon grinned, pulling her off the wall and led her to a more habitable section of the dungeon. He guided her to a couch, where she obliged him and took a seat. He, however, remained standing. Using the armrest for support, he leaned down so that his face loomed just above hers. Light from the torches on the wall flickered in his eyes.

Not wanting him to get any dangerous ideas, Elena took the initiative, craning her neck so that her lips could meet his. Both their eyes remained open at first – each filled with shock and hesitation. But as soon as Damon tangled his fingers in her hair and grinded his body against hers, they were both lost in the heat.

Elena felt his erection poking into her abdomen as they writhed against each other and tongues battled for dominance between their steamy mouths. There was no denying it; she did feel some sort of attraction, for lack of a better word, toward him. But that didn't make it entirely easy to forget about all the horrible things he'd done to her…her family…and her town.

Luckily for her, he pulled away before she could be the one to act on that anger. Though their lips were apart, he still lingered close to her. For the first time since she'd met him, Elena saw no signs of malice in his eyes. Even his smirk seemed to lose its arrogance. "You were right, Elena," he said softly. "I _am_ more than a 'violent creature.' It's such a shame that you'll never be able to see that."

Lulled into a state of false trust, she didn't hear the threat within his airy tone. In a movement that nearly gave her whiplash, he pulled her off the couch and held her against his chest with an arm wrapped around her torso. She could feel his cool breath against her skin, feel his lips stretch into a grin. "As enjoyable as that was, don't think that you fooled me," he whispered. "We both know I'm a monster."

When she started struggling against his increasing grip, he bit down into her neck without warning. He kept his teeth lodged in her skin even as he dragged her down the hall. The more she fought him, the more blood started squirting wildly out of the jagged holes he created. She cried out when he suddenly ripped his teeth out of her and threw her to the ground.

Tears had already started streaming down her cheeks. There was nothing she could do to stop it. "Please," she said through sobs, "don't leave me down here."

He pulled the heavy door shut with a lock. Staring down at her through the bars, he shrugged. "You had far too many chances, Elena. This was your last mistake."

Elena's eyes darted around the dingy cell. There were no windows, and hardly any light was coming through the barred door. She let out a stifled shout when she saw a brick fall out of the nearby wall. "H-hello?" she whispered, crawling over to peer through the small hole.

When the other person looked through the hole, Elena could've sworn she was staring into her own eyes. "Hello, Elena."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Hopefully this chapter makes up for the lack of Delena moments ;)

As always, thanks for reading. Leave a quick comment and let me know what you think!

XoXo Amber


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